The Nukak MakÃº are an indigenous group of perhaps 600 nomadic
hunter-gatherers who were first “contacted” by the outside world
in 1988. Deep in the jungles of eastern Guaviare department,
they have their own language and intricate set of customs. The
men hunt monkeys and other prey with blowguns, the women weave
intricate armbands and baskets. They have only a rudimentary
knowledge of agriculture. The Nukak somehow missed out on the
Spanish conquest and all that came after it. This has meant no
access to even the most basic technology – not even light bulbs
or radios – and no knowledge of what the rest of Homo sapiens
has gone through. (Imagine gazing upon the moon and not knowing
that people had been there.) On the other hand, it also meant no
enslavement, no theft of their lands, and no involvement in the
frequent armed conflicts that have marked Colombia’s history.
But their luck is quickly running out. Increased contact with
the outside world has meant death by unfamiliar diseases for
perhaps half the Nu