ATALAIA DO NORTE, BRAZIL, October 31, 2021 (Washington Post): Eliseio Marubo watched as the tribal leaders assembled before him. All had come, at his request, to put aside their differences and discuss what he called a common adversary. Their forest was beset by outsiders — illegal gold miners, land grabbers, deforesters. But the time had come to confront the one who predated them all. “Missionaries,” Marubo said. The meeting hall was at the gateway of one of the largest Indigenous territories in Brazil, called the Javari Valley, a swath of forest larger than the state of South Carolina. With its estimated population of 6,300 Indigenous people, it’s considered the world’s largest repository of uncontacted peoples. On a planet with vanishingly few places beyond the reach of modern civilization, the valley’s enduring isolation has made it one of the most alluring places for evangelists trying to reach the last people to have never heard the name Jesus Christ. [This kind of Christian believes Jesus will return to earth only when the last person on earth has been given the opportunity to accept or reject Him.]
Missionaries call such people the “unreached.” Few groups, if any, have been as committed to contacting them as American evangelists. They have produced elaborate maps to identify where they live. They have flown planes, purchased helicopters and piloted boats to reach them. Some have died, or been killed. Millions of dollars have been pumped into the work. Marubo is the first Indigenous lawyer to have come out of the Javari Valley. The only legal representative for its peoples, he last year filed on their behalf what is believed to be the first lawsuit by an Indigenous group aimed at expelling Christian missionaries from their territory. A victory could set a legal precedent, further restricting access to isolated groups and reducing the historic role American evangelists have played in the forest. [HPI note: Perhaps this strategy could be utilized in India.]
Much more at “source”.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/10/31/brazil-amazon-christian-missionary/