“There is no such thing as a remote place in a globalized world and this impacts indigenous societie

A remote place is a locality situated far from modern centers of population, where uncontacted tribes arguably are. Due to the rapid growth of population in the past three decades and rise of globalization, many former uncontacted places have been forced to contact with the modern world by the exploitation of resources, such as oil and gas. Apart from governments’ invasion of remote places, illegal smugglers, hunters and tourists have also taken parts in the first contact of many uncontacted tribes. In this essay, we will discuss the statement, “There is no such thing as a remote place in a globalized world and this impacts indigenous societies.”, exemplifying the documentary “First Contact: Lost Tribes of the Amazon”.

Anthropologists have come up with this statement with many reasons. They believe that there are no “uncontacted” tribes in the Amazon anymore. They might not have made regular contacts with modern civilizations, but at some point they do. Their perspectives and ways of living are as well not completely ancient as they have used machetes, iron pots and axes since one hundred years ago. However, most contacts that modern civilizations have made with the uncontacted tribes before assimilation takes place are violent. For instance, the Txapanawa tribe in the Amazon emerged from isolation in 2014 due to subsequent massacres most likely carried out by illegal drug smugglers and loggers. This is positively correlated to the global growth of transportation and trade networks, but negatively correlated to the government’s proper control on illegal resource exploitation.

Another example is the report of the Mashco-Piros invading a Yines community, which is later found to be located inside the territory of the Masho-Piros. Surprisingly, the Yines community has been “contacted” long ago as it is a group of protestant evangelists, who could have been supported by the US missionary organization. Moreover, the Yines moved to Monte Salvado around the same time Mobil appeared in Madre de Dios, in 1996, to exploit 1.5 million hectres, and employed some Yines possibly to effectively pacify the Mishco-Piros and help facilitate operations. The Yines missionaries did not only promote Christianity but the ideal of converging with modern civilizations.

However, despite the contact being made, remote places exist today and are to be protected by governments and civilians. For instance, apart from a few tribes in Taiwan that are expelled from the mountains for the sake of resource exploitation, many tribes have established transactions with the urban population, such as through tourism industry, which have boosted their economy. With the increase of income per capita in the tribes, their living conditions can be improved. However, as urban culture invades and the need of subsistent farming decreases, the aborigines are facing potential culture lost. Nowadays, in Taiwan, the aborigines enjoy the social welfare granted to study in urban areas, and simultaneously, are able to keep their homes in remote places. However, with those who have been forced out of homes, the government often fails to deliver sufficient compensation and support to make up to their lost.

To sum up, the statement is arguable as both sides hold reasonable perspectives. If a “remote place” is understood as a place of no contact with modern civilizations, the statement is then most likely to be agreed upon. On the other hand, if it is understood as a place of very little contact with modern civilizations, or is far from centers of populations, the statement is then most unlikely to be agreed upon. Most importantly, in 2005, the UN has set out an initiative to effectively improve the quality of life for the aborigines by promoting non-discrimination and participation of indigenous people in their traditional lands, assuring them safety, including them in the process of making decisions regarding laws, policies and resources, adopting policies and budgets for their development in all aspects