Previously Unknown Indian Tribe Found Lawyer Suspects They Were ‘Planted’ To Justify Land Seizure

Deep in the Amazon rain forest, an expedition has made contact with two Indians who speak a previously unknown language and apparently have had only fleeting dealings with non-Indians.

The leader of the expedition from Brazil’s Indian agency claimed Sunday that he had discovered a new tribe deep in the northwestern state of Rondonia, 2,400 miles northwest of Rio.

A lawyer for land owners in the area accused the agency of making up the story to justify seizing the land.

The expedition leader, Marcelo Santos, said it was the first contact in a decade between the agency and members of a tribe it was unaware of.

Santos said that on Sept. 3, he and four colleagues came upon two huts surrounded by gardens of corn, bananas, manioc and yams.

“We made noise to announce ourselves, and after a waiting period, the Indians approached,” he said in a telephone interview.

The Indians - a man and a woman - wore headdresses and jewelry made in part from bits of plastic apparently taken from mining or logging camps. They carried bows and arrows, Santos said.

For two hours, the two groups marveled at each other. “The male Indian became fascinated with my watch,” Santos said. He said he gave the man the watch and two knives.

Brazil is known to have more than 500 Indian tribes.

Language experts are examining recordings of the Indians’ language, Santos said, and had identified some similarities to the Tupi language.

The first trip met with strong opposition from landowners in the area.

A lawyer for them, Flauzinho Morais, has asked the attorney general to investigate whether the government “planted” the Indians in the area to justify appropriating the land.

Under Brazil’s constitution, Indians are guaranteed their tribal lands, which account for 11 percent of the nation’s territory. But in practice, land owners often drive the Indians away or bribe officials to deny their presence.