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| Nukak preparing darts for blowpipe
© Gustavo Pollitis/Survival |
The isolated tribe of Amazonian nomads who fled their rainforest home
in Colombia as fighting engulfed them are returning to the forest.
In response to a concerted national and international campaign, the Colombian government has announced that it is returning the Nukak
to a safe haven of 20,000 hectares of forest. But the Nukak's new home
is just 2% of the size of their own reserve, and is not part of their
traditional territory, which is still the scene of violent conflict.
There are growing fears that the government move will make it much
harder for the Nukak to ever return to their own land, and may be part
of a longer-term strategy to transform the Nukak from nomads into a
settled population, thus freeing up their ancestral territory for
colonisation.
The group of 170 Nukak Indians have seen much of their territory taken
over by coca-growers, guerrillas, paramilitaries and the Colombian
army, as their once-remote forest has become a battle-ground in
Colombia's long-running civil war.
The Indians fled their land in March. Over half the tribe had already
died since their first contact with white people in 1988, leaving
barely 500 survivors.
Survival Director Stephen Corry, said today, We're delighted that
the
outpouring of concern around the world for the Nukak's plight has
prompted the Colombian government to act. This is a real demonstration
of how public concern can nudge governments into taking action. But the
Nukak won't survive in the long term unless they can return to their
own homes. It is absolutely essential that the government acts now to
bring about a peaceful settlement to the fighting which has forced the
Nukak out, otherwise their exile is likely to gradually become
permanent.'
Photos available. For further information contact Miriam Ross on (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or email mr@survival-international.org
