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In Search of the Toromona |
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By José Luis Alcázar*
A
new expedition will attempt to confirm the existence of an indigenous
group isolated deep in the Bolivian jungle. No scientist has ever
seen the Toromona.
TARIJA, Bolivia - A scientific expedition will
return this austral winter to the Madidi jungle in the Bolivian
northeast to attempt to definitively certify the existence of the
ancient tribe of Toromona, who are the origin of the Paititi legend,
a southern Amazon version of the El Dorado story.
In dialogue with Tierramérica, Pablo Cingolani, head of the expedition,
explained the enormous scope of the effort to which he has been
dedicated since 2000, when the incursions into the Madidi National
Park jungles began, in search of the seemingly invisible Toromona.
The ancestors of this indigenous group, led by the legendary chief
Tarano, kept the Spanish Conquistadors in check during the 16th
and 17th centuries, preventing their settlement in the area.
But in addition to the Toromona, there are other "lost peoples"
in the Bolivian Amazon, according to Cingolani.
These are "survivors of the genocide that accompanied rubber extraction
in the forest from the mid-19th century until the First World War
and, later, the devastating effects of indiscriminate exploitation
of the natural resources of the Amazon," he explained.
There were three other official expeditions, in 2000, 2001 and 2003,
into the Madidi National Park, one of the world's leading areas
of biodiversity. The Bolivian Congress declared the expeditions
"of national interest".
With an area of 18,957 square kilometers, the reserve holds 733
species of fauna, plus 1,100 types of birds, which represent 90
percent of Bolivia's bird species and 11 percent of the planet's.
During his trips, Cingolani found evidence suggesting that within
the Colorado (or Pukamayu) river valley lives an isolated indigenous
group, identified as the Toromona, known from historical accounts.
The Argentine scientist and journalist planned his trek to follow
the route of British explorer Percy Harrison Fawcett, who traveled
through the area in 1911 and disappeared in his attempt to find
the Toromona. The same thing happened to Lars Hafskjold, of Norway,
in the 1980s. The latest scientific excursions have also been attempts
to find him.
Cingolani said he is preparing the fourth official expedition to
take place in the coming months, during the Bolivian winter, to
complete his fieldwork "and present sufficient indications that
prove the survival of the historic Toromona, respecting their right
to isolation."
It is a bid for "a definitive answer" to whether this group really
exists, Alvaro Díez Astete, a renowned Bolivian anthropologist and
the expedition's second in command, told Tierramérica.
The situation of other indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation
in Bolivia's lowlands will be taken up through the Madidi Foundation,
according to Díez.
There are 33 indigenous tribes in Bolivia, with populations ranging
from the millions -- there are some 2.5 million Quechua and 1.5
million Aymara -- to just a few remaining survivors, like the 11
Pacahuara. In the Amazon, Chaco and eastern regions of Bolivia are
29 indigenous groups (a total of around 300,000 people), 14 of which
are in extremely critical situations as far as their survival.
Cingolani and Díez Astete, with the support of leading Belgian anthropologist
Vincent Brackelaire, over the last five years have promoted an international
campaign to protect indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation.
The three experts hope this year to establish the International
Alliance for the Protection of Isolated Indigenous Peoples, which
is to include the United Nations, the Organization of American States,
the Amazon Basin Indigenous Organizations and the World Conservation
Union, as well as the region's governments.
Isolated peoples are living in the Amazon jungles of Bolivia, Brazil,
Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and in the Gran Chaco of Paraguay and
Bolivia.
In late April, the World Rainforest Movement officially gave its
support to the Madidi Expedition's efforts to certify the existence
of the Toromona and to ensure protection for their lives, culture
and human rights.
But despite the regional and international support, Cingolani warned
that the situation of the indigenous peoples inhabiting the Amazon
-- the world's largest area of peoples without outside contact --
is alarming: "All of them, without exception, are in danger of forced
disappearance."
Díez Astete said that "it is painfully ironic, as Brackelaire says,
that numerous animal species in danger of extinction are better
protected, thanks to CITES (Convention on International Trade of
Endangered Species), than are the latest known peoples of the planet."
The two expedition leaders hope that the government of President
Evo Morales, "who because of his [indigenous] origins will surely
have greater sensitivity," and the upcoming Constituent Assembly
will adopt measures to ensure the cultural preservation and isolation
of the Toromona and other such groups.
* José Luis Alcázar is a Tierramérica contributor
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