Swept to the edge of extinction by warring outsiders
The Nukak’s remote rainforest has been overrun by colonists growing coca for the lucrative cocaine trade. Now many Nukak have fled their land after becoming caught up in the violence of Colombia’s civil war.
Since first regular contact in 1988, more than 50% of the entire tribe have died. The Nukak are one of at least 32 Colombian tribes ‘at imminent risk of extinction’.
The Nukak live between the Guaviare and Inírida rivers in south-east Colombia.
They are one of six groups known as the ‘Maku’ peoples, all nomadic hunter-gatherers living in the headwaters of the northwest Amazon basin.
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| Nukak preparing darts for blowpipe.
© Gustavo Pollitis/Survival |
Traditionally, the Nukak live in small groups, between nine and thirty people, in the very deep forest away from the rivers.
They are constantly on the move, spending just a few days in any one place.
Because they are so mobile, they have very few possessions, and what they have is easily portable.
Nukak houses tend to be very light structures made of wood and palm-leaves, just enough to provide a roof to sling a hammock under.
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| Nukan man hunting with a blow-pipe. © ICBF |
Each family has its own hearth, used to keep warm, cook, and to burn certain plants to keep mosquitoes away.
The Nukak eat fish, game, turtles, fruit, vegetables, nuts, insects and honey.
The men hunt using blowguns, with darts tipped with curare, a poison made from up to five different plants.
Campaigning for the Nukak’s rights has already made a huge difference. After campaigns led by Survival and local indigenous organisations, the Colombian government created a Nukak reserve in 1993 and enlarged it in 1997.
What the Nukak want now is for the boundaries of their reserve to be respected and for them to be able to live there in peace.
Please write to the Colombian government to urge them to ensure the Nukak can return to their land.
