Surprise birth of child brings hope to endangered Amazon tribe with only 3 women left

Sao Paulo – Pugapia and her daughters Aiga and Babawru lived for years as the only surviving members of the Akuntsu, an indigenous people decimated by a government-backed push to develop parts of the Amazon rainforest. As they advanced in age without a child to carry the lineage, many hoped that the Akuntsu would disappear when the women died.

That changed in December, when Babawru — the youngest of the three, about 40 years old — gave birth to a child. Akyp’s arrival brought hope not only for the Akuntsu line but also for efforts to protect the equally fragile rainforest.

“This child is not only a symbol of the resistance of the Akuntsu people, but also a source of hope for indigenous peoples,” said Joenia Wapichana, president of Brazil’s indigenous protection agency, known as Funai. “He represents how the recognition, protection and stewardship of this land is extremely necessary.”

Protecting indigenous territories is widely seen as one of the most effective ways to curb deforestation in the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest and a key regulator of global climate. Researchers warn that continued forest loss could accelerate global warming. A 2022 analysis by MapBiomas, a network of non-governmental groups that track land use, found that indigenous territories in Brazil had lost just 1% of native vegetation in three decades, compared to 20% on private lands nationwide.

In the state of Rondonia, where the Akuntsu live, around 40% of the native forest has been cleared, and what remains intact is largely within indigenous and conservation areas. The land of the Akuntsu stands out in satellite images as a forest island surrounded by cattle pastures, as well as soybean and corn fields.

Rondonia’s deforestation dates back to a government-backed initiative to occupy the rainforest during Brazil’s military regime in the 1970s. Around the same time, an infrastructure program funded in part by the World Bank promoted internal migration to the Amazon, including the paving of a highway through the state.

In the 1980s, Rondonia’s population more than doubled, according to census data. Settlers were promised land titles if they cleared the forest for agriculture and risked losing their claims if indigenous people were present, leading to violent attacks by hired gunmen against indigenous groups, including the Akuntsu.

Funai made first contact with the Akuntsu in 1995 and found seven survivors. Experts believe that a decade earlier there were about 20, when they were attacked by ranchers seeking to occupy the area. Funai agents found evidence of the attack and, when they contacted the Akuntsu, the survivors told what happened. Some still had gunshot wounds.

The last Akuntsu man died in 2017. Since then, Babawru lived with his mother, Pugapia, and Aiga, his sister. The women, whose ages are not known with certainty, have chosen to remain isolated from the non-indigenous world, showing little interest in it.

In 2006, Funai granted territorial protection to the Akuntsu, establishing the Omere River Indigenous Land, which they have since shared with the Kanoe people. The two groups, once enemies, began to maintain contact, usually mediated by officials. The relationship is complex, with cooperation but also with cultural differences and linguistic barriers.

The News requested a facilitated interview with the women through Funai, but the agency did not respond.

Amanda Villa, an anthropologist at the Isolated Peoples Observatory, said Akuntsu women depend on Kanoe men for tasks considered masculine, such as hunting and clearing fields. The two groups have also exchanged spiritual knowledge. — the current spiritual leader Kanoe, for example, learned from the late patriarch Akuntsu.

But the most momentous event for the future of the Akuntsu may have occurred last year, when Babawru became pregnant by a Kanoe man.

Linguist Carolina Aragón is the only foreigner capable of communicating with the three women after years studying and documenting their language. He works closely with Funai, translating conversations almost daily via video calls. Aragón also supported Babawru remotely during her birth and was with her during an ultrasound exam that confirmed the pregnancy.

Aragon said Babawru was stunned by the news. “She said, ‘How can I be pregnant?'” Aragón recalled, noting that Babawru had always taken precautions to avoid getting pregnant.

The surviving Akuntsu women had decided that they would not become mothers. The decision was driven not only by the absence of other men in their community, but also by the belief that their world was disorganized: the conditions they considered were not suitable for raising a child.

“This decision can be attributed directly to the violent context they experienced,” said Villa, the anthropologist. “They have a somewhat catastrophic understanding.”

The Akuntsu believed that they could not bring new life to a world without Akuntsu men who could not only perform but also teach tasks that the group considers male responsibilities, such as hunting and shamanism.

“The breakdown of social relations that followed the genocide shaped their lives and deepened over the years. That leads people to think — and rethink — the future,” Aragón said. “But the future can surprise everyone. A child was born.”

Aragon said the women were embarking on a “new chapter”, choosing to welcome the child and adapt their traditions with the support of Kanoe and Funai. Villa said that the fact that the newborn is a boy creates the possibility of recovering male roles as a hunter.

Researchers and officials who have long worked with the three women understood that protecting the territory depended on the survival of the Akuntsu as a people. They sought to avoid a repeat of what happened to Tanaru, an indigenous man who was discovered after living alone and without contact for decades.

After the discovery, authorities struggled to protect Tanaru territory. After died in 2022non-indigenous groups began to dispute the land. Late last year, the federal government finally secured the area, making it a protected conservation unit.

A report published last year by Survival International, a London-based indigenous rights organization, said that almost 65% of the 196 uncontacted indigenous groups it had identified in 10 countries faced logging threatsaround 40% from mining and around 20% from agribusiness. He warned that half of the groups “could be eliminated within 10 years if governments and companies do not act” to address those threats.

Funai’s Wapichana said Babawru’s son “is a hope that this next generation will truly include an indigenous people, an Akuntsu, ensuring the continuity of this people.”

Through years of careful work, Funai ensured the territorial protection of the Akuntsu and helped foster ties with the Kanoe. The agency also arranged for spiritual support from an allied shaman, allowing the women to feel safe bringing new life into the world after decades of fear and loss.

The Akuntsu form emotional bonds with the forest and with the birds. Now you are strengthening those bonds with new human life in your world.

“What kind of relationship will this boy have with his own territory?” Aragon said. “I hope it’s the best it can be, because you have everything you need there.”