When I was in college, I briefly considered minoring in history.
I decided against it after taking a snooze-inducing course in post-Civil War American history. The class was taught by an antiquated Southern gentleman who looked old enough to have been at Lee’s side when he surrendered to Grant in 1865.
I suppose it’s not entirely the professor’s fault the class was on the dull side – you try making the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act exciting.
Even though I ended up choosing another field of study as my minor, I am still fascinated by the events of the past and the consequences that continue to impact us today. I am a firm believer in philosopher George Santayana’s often-misquoted statement: “Those who can’t remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
While there are plenty of people doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past, recent news showed that there are some out there who have absorbed the lessons of history.
Last week, Brazilian officials released aerial photographs showing members of an “uncontacted” tribe of Indians living deep in the Amazonian rainforests. The main photo showed two tribesmen threatening to shoot the photographer’s plane with bows and arrows.
Officials say they released the photos to raise awareness of the plight of the country’s estimated 68 uncontacted tribes, whose land and very existence is threatened by logging and development.
Anthropologists say the tribes are likely aware of modern civilization, either through trade with other Indians or limited contact with loggers and prospectors, but have chosen to remain in isolation.
My initial reaction to the story was stunned curiosity – how could there be people in this day and age who remain untouched by modern civilization? How did they survive this long? How much do they know about modern life and what are their reasons for remaining apart?
My second thought was to wonder what would happen to the group now that the world knew they existed.
Here’s where the history lessons come in.
The Brazilian government – perhaps learning from the brutal treatment indigenous people have suffered since Columbus arrived in this hemisphere 500 years ago – has worked to protect the uncontacted tribes, keeping them in isolation and on their own land.
Not only does this allow tribes to choose the time and place of contact, it also keeps them safe from diseases that, while harmless to most of the world, often prove fatal to native populations.
“First contact is often completely catastrophic for ‘uncontacted’ tribes. It’s not unusual for 50 percent of the tribe to die in months after first contact,” said Miriam Ross, who works for Survival International, an Indian rights group.
The day will likely come when these tribes won’t have a choice about whether to join the modern world, but for now they can continue living on their land as they have for generations — thanks to those who have learned to avoid the mistakes of the past.
Jocelyn Robinson is Enterprise copy editor.
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