Loggers have invaded the Amazon home of uncontacted Awà Indians, one of whom has reportedly been burned alive. Members of the Guajajara tribe, which also inhabits the area, have said that they came across the burned remains of an Aw— child in the forest, following an attack by loggers, according to Conselho Indigenista Brasileiro (organ of the Bishops' Conference of Brazil). Clovis Guajajara, who sometimes sees the Awà in the forest whilst hunting, has reportedly said that he has not seen them since the alleged attack, and he believes they have fled.
The Brazilian government's Indian Affairs Department, FUNAI, has told Survival that it is conducting an investigation into the reports, and that the child's death has not been confirmed.
At least 60 uncontacted Awà Indians are thought to live in this part of the north-eastern Brazilian Amazon, they are one of the last nomadic hunter-gatherer tribes in Brazil. The Awà rely on their forest to survive, but vast numbers of loggers are illegally invading their land, which now suffers one of the highest deforestation rates in the Amazon.
Brazil's Awà tribe rely on their forest home for survival but intensive logging poses a serious threat to their future.
More than 30% of one of the Awà'ss territories has already been destroyed. Luis Carlos Guajajara told Survival "There are uncontacted Awà in the area and the loggers are pressurising them. The loggers' presence is very dangerous. Indians in the area are scared."
The Awà have recently suffered a series of brutal attacks, and loggers have warned that the Indians will be killed if they go into their forest.