Nukak

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The Nukak are an indigenous people in the Colombian part of the Amazon basin between the Guaviare and Inírida rivers . They belong to one of the six groups that make up the Maku indigenous people and were only discovered in 1988.

Way of life

Mother with child in hammock

The Nukak's way of life corresponds to that of the hunter-gatherers . They live as nomads in small family groups with nine to thirty members and prefer the deep rainforest to the river. They change their place of residence within the jungle around 60 times in their lifetime. They know little about private property and share their property and knowledge with others, including strangers. Their form of organization is largely democratic , which means that every vote counts. The Maku feed on fish, game, turtles, fruits, vegetables, nuts, insects and honey. They use blowguns for hunting.

Danger

Nukak woman

Since coca planters have invaded their area, their number has shrunk from around 1200 to a little more than 500 Nukak. Many were carried away by respiratory diseases and viral flu. They are abused by the coca farmers as cheap labor or, where they stand in the way of new plantations, forcibly driven out by the guerrillas who are in close contact with the coca farmers . Many Nukak have sought refuge on the outskirts of the city of San José del Guaviare . The armed clashes between the army, paramilitaries and guerrillas in their area make it very difficult and dangerous to return. The natural habitat of the Nukak is not only endangered by the coca farmers: plans for the large-scale cultivation of oil palms for biodiesel production and the expected exploitation of huge oil deposits and uranium in their area lead to fears of far worse.

In December 2010 a Nukak leader made a desperate appeal to Colombia's Supreme Human Rights Committee for the survival of his people and their return to their ancestral lands. Since their displacement, the Nukak on the outskirts have struggled to adapt to a sedentary lifestyle and are dependent on government grants.

swell

Web links

Aid International in Colombia - Help for internally displaced persons (Nukak and Tucanos) (YouTube March 1, 2017)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Nukak's desperate plea to return home. In: Survival International. December 21, 2010, accessed December 21, 2010 .