Pugapia and her daughters, Aiga and Babawru, lived for years as the only surviving members of the Akuntsu, an Indigenous people wiped out by a government-backed push to develop parts of the Amazon rainforest. Many expected the Akuntsu to vanish when the women died, but that changed in December, when Babawru—the youngest of the three, in her 40s—gave birth to a baby boy. Akyp's arrival brought hope not just for the Akuntsu line, but also for efforts to protect the fragile rainforest, per the AP.
The last Akuntsu man died in 2017. Since then, Babawru has lived with her mom and sister and chosen to remain isolated from the non-Indigenous world. In 2006, Brazil's Indigenous protection agency, Funai, granted territorial protection to the Akuntsu, establishing a tract of land they've since shared with the Kanoe people. The two groups, once enemies, began maintaining contact, usually mediated by officials. The relationship is complex, with cooperation but also cultural and language differences. Amanda Villa, an anthropologist with the Observatory of Isolated Peoples, said Akuntsu women depend on Kanoe men for tasks such as hunting and clearing fields, and the two groups have also exchanged spiritual knowledge—but the most consequential development for the future of the Akuntsu may have occurred last year, when Babawru became pregnant by a Kanoe man.
Linguist Carolina Aragon is the only outsider able to communicate with the three women, after years studying and documenting their language. Aragon, who supported Babawru remotely during her labor, said Babawru was initially stunned by her pregnancy news. "She said, 'How can I be pregnant?'" Aragon recalled. Babawru said she'd always taken precautions to prevent that from happening: The Akuntsu women had decided they wouldn't become mothers, a decision driven by the absence of other men in their community, and also by the belief that their world was not suitable for raising a child.
Now, Aragon says, the women are embarking on a "new chapter," welcoming the child and adapting their traditions with support from the Kanoe and Funai. Protecting Indigenous territories is seen as one of the most effective ways to curb Amazon deforestation; researchers warn that continued forest loss could accelerate global warming. "This child is not only a symbol of the resistance of the Akuntsu people, but also a source of hope for Indigenous peoples," said Joenia Wapichana, president of Funai. "He represents how recognition, protection, and the management of this land are extremely necessary." More here.
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