The Nukak Makú

For this latin American entry, I wanted to research about a group in my country that I had little or zero knowledge at all. I found an indigenous group called the Nukak Makú that definitely grabbed all my attention and that I want people to be aware of what is happening to them.

The Nukak Makú’s are an indigenous group in Colombia. They live deep in the jungle between the Inirida and Guaviare rivers in the southeast of the country.
They are known for being the last indigenous nomad group and for being expert hunter-gatherers. Sadly, they are also close to extinction because of the violence in Colombia and the diseases they have contracted because of the contact with outsiders. It is said that there are around 400 or 500 Nukak Maku’s left. They were if not the last, one of the last indigenous groups to be discovered, the first time the Government heard of them was in the 1980’s.

The territories they used to live in have been occupied by guerrillas, paramilitaries, and coca growers displacing some of the Nukak Maku’s to small towns and impeding them from developing their normal activities such as hunting and changing those habits to “white habits”.

There have been some initiatives to protect the rights of this group and have been very successful. Aside from indigenous organizations, the Colombian government has also taken part in these campaigns and created a reserve for the Nukak in 1993, which expanded in 1997. But still, many things could be done to help them preserve themselves and get back all their culture. Colombian citizens should be more aware of what is happening to these people and how any kind of organization could help them get back to the territories they lived and develop all their traditions the way they used to. After years of displacement and the dilemma of losing their customs they just want the borders of their reservation to be respected and that they can live there in peace.

References:
http://www.cafeinternetsd.galeon.com/productos830853.html
http://www.colarte.arts.co/recuentos/Colecciones/ETNIAS/NukakMaku.htm
http://www.survival.es/indigenas/nukak
Image reference:
http://manosartesanasenamerica.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/nukak_mak__colom.jpg