Amazonians join the digital jungle

The arrival of the internet is changing the lives of indigenous communities in remote corners of Brazil. However, some question if the changes will be for the good or lead to the destruction of these communities.

The Matsés are a nomadic tribe which first entered into communication with the modern world in the 1970s. They still hunt and fish, wear facial ornaments and traditional facial tattoos. Their village of Nova Esperança is 500 kilometres from the nearest town. But the arrival of a new solar powered antenna linked to Elon Musk’s Starlink Satellite Internet now means instant access to the outside world.

Cesar Mayuruna - who is an Indigenous Municipal Councillor, believes this will help massively improve education for the community.

Cesar Mayuruna: "We have a dream for the future with this, to be trained as an engineer, civil engineer, geologist, architect. You can be a lawyer. You can be a nurse, work in administration and several areas, chemical engineering, forestry engineering, it will be easier. This is our future dream."

Previously the only means of communication was via an erratic two way radio or by arduous journeys by canoe to visit the other villages. The network installation has been financed by the municipality and there are plans to expand the network further.

However, concerns remain about the cultural impact on the Matsés communities. Elders have decided that after dark the internet will be cut off for everyone except teachers, health workers and village elders.

Bene Mayuruna’s the President of the General Organization of the Mayuruna people.

Bene Mayuruna: "The internet helps a lot to communicate. But on the other hand, the internet encourages young people not to do traditional activities, not to help their mother. When the mother does activities, like gardening, she calls and they don't go because of the cell phone, because they are watching videos. This is very worrying, isn't it?"

With social media apps sitting alongside educational sites and the benefits of communication, only time will tell what the long term impact will be on the culture of these indigenous communities. View Less