Remarkable images captured by automatic cameras in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest offer a rare and unprecedented glimpse into an isolated Indigenous community. Known as the Massaco, this group has remained uncontacted for centuries, living in the dense, remote parts of the forest. Despite facing mounting pressures from illegal loggers, miners, and agribusiness interests, the community appears to be thriving. The photographs, which show a group of men, mark the first time the outside world has had a clear view of the Massaco, providing further evidence that their population may be growing.
The Massaco people take their name from the river that runs through their territory, but little is known about their self-identification, language, or cultural practices. The Brazilian National Indigenous Peoples Foundation (Funai), which has worked for decades to protect their land, estimates their population has grown to between 200 and 250 individuals. This increase, despite the encroachment of external threats, marks a rare instance of population growth among uncontacted groups in the Amazon.
Funai’s monitoring of the Massaco involves the use of remote cameras, placed strategically in areas where the community has been known to pass through. These cameras have revealed a wealth of information, including the Massaco’s use of long bows for hunting and their practice of moving settlements seasonally within the forest. The community also discourages outside intrusion by planting foot-piercing spikes and other deterrents.
Experts who have observed the Massaco over the years note similarities between their way of life and that of the Sirionó people, who live across the border in Bolivia. However, much about the Massaco remains a mystery. Altair Algayer, a government agent with Funai, notes that while the photographs offer valuable insights into the community’s lifestyle, much is still unknown about their culture and beliefs.
Despite the devastating history of contact between Indigenous groups and external forces—often resulting in devastating disease outbreaks and cultural loss—the Massaco remain largely shielded from the outside world. This policy of non-contact, pioneered by Brazil in the late 1980s, aims to preserve the autonomy of isolated peoples and protect them from the harmful effects of outside influence.
Across the Amazon, similar efforts to protect isolated communities are taking place. Reports of growing populations among previously isolated groups have emerged, suggesting that these communities may be adapting and even thriving, despite ongoing environmental destruction and encroachment by illegal settlers. In 2023, for instance, satellite imagery revealed the expansion of longhouses and cultivated plots along the borders of Brazil with Peru and Venezuela.
Efforts to protect uncontacted peoples in the Amazon are not without challenges. Funai’s work is hampered by chronic underfunding, and its staff members face significant risks, including threats of violence from illegal invaders. In 2022, Funai agent Bruno Pereira and journalist Dom Phillips were murdered while investigating illegal activities in Indigenous territories. Nevertheless, Funai continues to prioritize the protection of isolated peoples, with ongoing support from international organizations.
The case of the Massaco highlights the importance of protecting the rights and territories of uncontacted Indigenous groups. Their survival not only helps preserve one of the world’s most vital ecosystems—the Amazon rainforest—but also ensures the protection of unique cultural practices and ways of life that have existed for millennia. The continued existence of such groups underscores the need for stronger international cooperation and protection policies, ensuring their autonomy and survival in an increasingly threatened world.
