ON THE EDGE Around the world there are about 150 million indigenous peoples living in more than 60 countries Indigenous means people who were among the first to live in a place Maasai in Tanzania performing a traditional dance DIFFERENT LIVES The thousands of groups of indigenous peoples around the world have different cultures customs and distinct languages Many have very close ties to the lands they live in and have developed incredible survival skills that allow them to live in some of the planet’s harshest environments The reindeer-herding Nenets migrate vast distances in Russia every year 4
WHAT’S HAPPENING Governments and companies are taking over indigenous peoples lands for plantations mining and industrial projects They are violating the rights of indigenous peoples Many indigenous groups are forced to join mainstream society often with terrible results Cut off from the lands they have lived in for centuries many face poverty disease unfair treatment and violence Indigenous people’s homes such as those in the rainforest are being destroyed CAMPAIGN GROUPS There are many groups and organizations working to protect the rights of indigenous peoples One of the best known is Survival International It was founded in 1969 to help indigenous peoples in the Amazon rainforest Its goals are to highlight the suffering of indigenous peoples and to lobby governments and companies on their behalf Campaigners from Survival International protesting against diamond mining in Botswana where the San or Bushmen people live 5
AWÁ For centuries the Awá people have lived in the dense Amazon rainforest of northeastern Brazil As hunter-gatherers they respect the forest and rely on it for all of their food shelter and other needs such as medicines But the forest is disappearing fast and with it the Awá’s unique way of life LIFE IN THE FOREST The Awá live by gathering honey fruits and plants and hunting forest animals with bows and arrows They are experts at forest survival and take great care of the forest using only what they need 6
UNDER THREAT Of the remaining Awá around 100 members have never had contact with outsiders They move around the forest carrying everything they need with them But loggers and ranchers are destroying the forest and about a third of Awá land has already been cleared Horrifically hired gunmen have killed whole families of Awá STATS LOCATION Amazon rainforest Brazil NUMBERS REMAINING Around 350 THREATENED BY Illegal logging mining disease RAIL DANGER The biggest iron ore mine in the world lies on the edge of Awá territory Day and night enormous trains transport thousands of tons of ore from the mine to the Atlantic coast In the 1980s the Brazilian government forced some of the Awá to move so they could use their land for the railway The move was disastrous and many Awá people died of malaria and the flu Because of their isolated lifestyle the Awá have no natural immunity to these diseases The Carajás mine in northern Brazil is the largest iron ore mine in the world Many indigenous groups from the region came together to protest against the Carajás mine URGENT ACTION In April 2012 Survival International launched an urgent campaign to try to save the Awá from being wiped out Backed by celebrities the campaign won worldwide support and persuaded the Brazilian government to expel illegal loggers from Awá land The Awá themselves have also been protesting In June 2016 they blockaded the railway to stop the mining company from increasing the number and size of trains 7
