Published December 7, 2023
9 min read
The Javari River: A Journey into the Heart of the Amazon Forest
Flowing deep into the Amazon forest, the Javari River serves as the dividing line between Brazil and Peru. The only signs of human life along its banks are the occasional boat or dock on the Peruvian side. On the Brazilian bank, government signs warn that this is Javari Valley Indigenous land, a reserve that’s home to the highest concentration of isolated Indigenous peoples in the world. Outsiders are forbidden to enter, but the lure of abundant minerals, timber, and wildlife is impossible for many to resist.
Exploring this remote region, we discover that the reserve is home to some 6,000 people, an area of nearly pristine forest roughly the size of Portugal. However, this number only accounts for members of seven tribes who have established contact with the outside world. It’s a place where people live on an embattled frontier, surrounded by illegal logging, fishing, and mining activities that threaten their way of life.
Our journey leads us to the village of São Luís, home to 200 or so Kanamari people. Over eight days, we witness the Kanamari’s unwavering determination to defend their land and their way of life, despite the growing threats of violent incursions and illegal resource extraction.
Chief Mauro Kanamari, speaking for his people, explains the challenges they face. “There used to be only a few illegal invaders, fishermen, and loggers who took wood from our territory,” he tells us. “Now they are more with every day.”
With the support of FUNAI, Brazil’s Indigenous affairs agency, and UNIVAJA, a union of the Indigenous groups in the Javari Valley, the Kanamari have organized vigilance patrols and push back against the outlaw loggers. However, the fight is far from easy, as Chief Mauro points out, “We used to confiscate this wood, but now, since they’re coming in greater numbers, we’ve become afraid.”