In a rather undetailed article, the Associated Press reported that Brazil recently released undated photographs of indigenous people in an attempt to bring awareness to their "plight... of possible annihilation." The picture (seen above) shows both adults and children gazing at the camera, and the article states that they were seen carrying baskets of fruits that were grown in a communal garden. The photo was taken by rights groups, the National Indian Foundation, Survival International, on the border of Brazil and Peru. The groups fear that illegal logging will destroy the indigenous peoples current habitats and send them fleeing into different areas of the rainforests. The National Indian Foundation reports that there are currently 67 different tribes living in these rainforests that do not maintain contact with the modernized world that account for about 500,000 people, according to the last census.
While I believe the cause is valid reasoning for taking the pictures, the picture to me is worth 1,000 words. Ironically, I can't exactly verbalize how I feel about this. The concept of globalization and the need for western modernization is one that I've long felt conflicted about, and this picture seems to summarize that. These people look, frightened and concerned and over all, confused at the camera. I can't imagine what they were thinking, or how I feel about it; all I know is that I find this image very upsetting.
Brianna Howell
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