Members of Peru’s isolated Mashco Piro ethnic group recently used bows and arrows to attack loggers they suspected of encroaching on their territory in the Amazon, local indigenous groups said.
FENAMAD, which represents 39 indigenous communities in the Cusco and Madre de Dios regions, said on Monday it believes illegal logging is taking place in Mashco-Piro territory and that one logger was injured in a July 27 attack.
Uncontacted Peruvian tribe attacks ecotourists
A few weeks ago, photographs were released of uncontacted tribes foraging for food on the coast of the Peruvian Amazon, which some experts say is evidence that logging concessions are “dangerously close” to their territory.
“The area where the incident occurred is a forest concession owned by Wood Tropical Forest until November 2022 and is likely illegal as we are not aware of any concessions that have requested or been granted permits in the same area,” said a FENAMAD representative, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to concerns for his personal safety.
This June 2024 photo provided by Survival International shows members of Mashco Piro along the Amazon’s Las Piedras River, near the community of Monte Salvado, Madre de Dios, Peru. (Survival International via The Associated Press, File)
The group said the lack of protective measures by the Peruvian government and the increased activity of businesses and illegal operators in the Mashco Piro region could have “devastating consequences,” including disease transmission and increased violence.
In 2022, two loggers were shot with arrows while fishing during clashes with tribesmen, one of whom died, and there have been several other reports of clashes in the past.
Peru’s Ministry of Culture, which is responsible for protecting indigenous peoples, did not immediately respond to a message Monday seeking comment about the attack and indigenous protection efforts.
Survival International, an indigenous advocacy group that has been following the Mashco-Piro issue closely, says it is pressuring the Peruvian government to go deeper into these parts of the Amazon to help resolve the situation.
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“This is a permanent emergency. For the past month, we have seen Macho Piro in different locations every two weeks, and all of them surrounded by loggers,” Teresa Mayo, a researcher with Survival International, said by phone.
“This is literally a matter of life and death, and only the government can and has a duty to stop this,” Mayo said.
