Peru's fight for its isolated communities | DW Documentary

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The Mashco Piro people live in near-total isolation in a reserve in the Peruvian Amazon. A river separates these indigenous people from the outside world. Now, a team of anthropologists and members of other native groups are working protect to Mashco Piro from gold miners and the drug mafia.

Only the Río Madre de Dios separates the indigenous Mashco Piro from other villages and settlements on the other side of the river. Until about 10 years ago, photographs taken during flights over Peru’s Manú National Park – one of the most biodiverse rainforest areas on earth – were the only indication of their existence.

Then, they began to show themselves. They raided settlements in search of machetes, pots and plantains. Meanwhile, missionaries and other indigenous people – who see the Mashco Piro as a brother tribe – tried to make contact.

Finally, Peru’s government decide to undertake a unique project to protect one of the last truly isolated peoples on Earth. A team of anthropologists and indigenous people is sent to try to find out if the Mashco Piro actually want contact. They also inform them that the world on the other side of the river follows a different set of rules.

However, when the Mashco Piro murder an old man who has trespassed into their protected area, the two worlds collide. While some are fascinated by what they see as the authenticity of the Mashco Piro, others enrich themselves at the tribe’s expense, through drug smuggling, illegal logging or gold mining.

This documentary addresses our views of indigenous peoples. Told with empathy and respect for all voices, the film’s narrative also poses the question: how do we want to shape our futures?

#documentary #dwdocumentary #peru
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27 thoughts on “Peru's fight for its isolated communities | DW Documentary”

  1. So the choices are for them to remain starving savages, materialist gold miners or criminal narco traffickers?
    That's a tough one, but ultimately i think anything is better than being left in their current state living like murderous animals begging for sustenance to survive. Allow the evangelists in i say, those tribals clearly have a great interest in civilisation, and their neighbours share much of their culture and are willing to treat them as brothers.

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  3. Sad they are still fighting to be killed by white people religious invaders from stealing their resources like Ford did before killed them with religion and desease ❤ this document sad for those last remined natives to their land.

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  4. Great Documentary. I am puzzled and a bit concerned to why religion has to be forced upon people to make them “civilized.” Why keep a case open, and wait for the uncivilized to become civilized to more then likely prosecute, their were not under the same laws as the civilized, so how does the case remain open until they become civilized? I send my heartfelt loss to everyone who’s lost someone on both sides the so called “civilized” and the so called “uncivilized.” This is so sad, I agree with developing countries, but then on the downside at what costs, never a balance in this “civilized world.”

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  8. Really good documentary, very interesting. Really lovely kind people and understanding. Wish the world wasnt based souly on money and greed. Be a massive shame to loose these forests and people

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  21. It's difficult to muster sympathy for a group of people so infantile and barbaric that they cavalierly threaten (and carry out) violence over trivialities, like not getting the food or toys they want. Killing or maiming others because you couldn't coerce them to gift you what you wanted is behaviour best left in the past. Though there was no excuse for it then, just as there's none now. Primitiveness is no good excuse. If these people continue in existence it is indeed best that they be kept away from modern society.

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