Missionaries

Brazil - In a landmark ruling, a Brazilian judge has blocked evangelical missionaries from making contact with uncontacted tribes in the Javari Valley, home to the greatest concentration of such peoples anywhere on Earth. The lawsuit was brought by UNIVAJA, the indigenous organization of the Javari Valley, to counter concerted efforts by the missionaries to reach uncontacted communities. The judge’s ruling names several missionaries – Andrew Tonkin, Josiah McIntyre and Wilson de Benjamin – and the New Tribes Mission (Ethnos360), but extends to all the missionaries who are trying to enter the Javari Valley. The judge stated in his ruling that “Uncontacted Indians are especially vulnerable… To make contact with them is hugely risky.”