How Many Uncontacted Tribes Are Left In The World?

Uncontacted tribes are groups of people who live entirely isolated, without contact with their neighbors or the outside world. Currently, it is estimated that approximately 100 uncontacted tribes remain globally. The precise number is unknown, but most of these tribes inhabit the Amazon rainforest. The most secluded tribe is the Sentinelese, residing on North Sentinel Island near India.

Our understanding of these tribes is limited, drawn from a handful of encounters and aerial footage. Most governments choose not to engage with the tribes, respecting their right to remain undisturbed. This article will discuss the ten most well-known tribes that have consistently evaded modern civilization.

The Sentinelese

The Sentinelese are a tribe living on the North Sentinel island, off the shore of India, and are considered to be the most secluded tribe in the world. Not much is known about them, other than that they are a hunter-gatherer tribe, using bows and arrows to hunt for food. They are of shorter stature and very hostile towards intruders.

Many attempts were made to reach out to them for further information, but most were unsuccessful. In the 1960s, however, several contact efforts yielded some recorded data. Nonetheless, approaching them is still deemed risky, as some attempts met with violence, leading to the deaths of local guides.

The Pintupi Nine

The Pintupi Nine, a group of Aborigines, were discovered in Western Australia in 1984. Initially, they attempted to escape upon encountering outsiders, but they were quickly located and began communicating with researchers. These researchers spoke their language and explained the concept of modern cities, offering them the chance to relocate there, emphasizing that they would no longer need to worry about access to water or food. While most agreed, a few members chose to remain in isolation.

The Tribes Of New Guinea

Many languages, customs, and cultures in New Guinea are thought to remain unknown to the outside world. However, exploring these regions presents challenges for several reasons. Firstly, the terrain remains uncharted, and more critically, the characteristics of the tribes are entirely uncertain, with some accounts suggesting they practiced cannibalism.

Some expeditions succeeded in uncovering tribes in New Guinea; however, many of these journeys faced interruptions and struggled to collect substantial data. An intriguing and alarming incident occurred in 1961 when an heir of the Rockefeller family participated in an expedition and vanished. It is thought that he was seized and consumed by a tribe.

The Brazilian Tribes

For years, the Brazilian tribes have remained largely unknown to researchers, and they largely still are. The Brazilian government consistently seeks to understand the population in the more secluded areas of the Amazon for population control purposes. They have repeatedly dispatched aircraft equipped with recording devices to fly over the jungle, hoping to capture any signs of life.

Such incidents are rare, but in 2007, an aircraft was attacked by arrows from below, originating from an area previously believed to be uninhabited. In 2011, a satellite scan unexpectedly revealed people living in these regions once thought to be unlivable. The tribes there continue to be a mystery.

The Last Remaining Native American

In 1911, Ishi, a member of the Yahia tribe, emerged from a California forest, startling local residents. Dressed in traditional ceremonial attire, he was promptly arrested by the police. An interpreter was soon located, revealing that he was the last surviving member of his tribe.

The tribe was raided by settlers three years earlier, and everyone but Ishi was killed. He tried living in solitude, but that proved to be too difficult for him, so he decided to seek help. He was taken in by researchers, and through interviews with him, they were able to learn many techniques his tribe developed for living in the wild.

The Vietnamese Ruc

During the Vietnam War, many regions that were isolated throughout history have been bombed. After one of the especially ruthless bombings, a tribe emerged from the jungle. The Vietnamese soldiers were shocked to see people that were unknown to them living in their country.

These were the Ruc people, a hunter-gatherer tribe that lived in caves. It was their first contact with civilized society, and because the bombing caused considerable damage to their homes, they decided to continue living in modern Vietnam. However, they constantly came into conflict with the Vietnamese government that was trying to relocate them.

The Jackson Whites

This tribe of Native Americans managed to avoid all contact throughout the entire 18th century, while North America was being colonized. People believed that every tribe was known by 1790, but were surprised when they stumbled upon an unknown tribe 35 miles away from New York City.

Despite large battles that happened during the century, they have avoided all that and remained in isolation. They did not make contact with any of the settlers. Once they were found out, they were named the Jackson Whites because of their light skin color.

The Lone Brazilian

Often considered to be “the most isolated man on the planet,” this man makes up for an entire tribe by himself. He lives somewhere in the Amazon and has managed to avoid any and all contact for years successfully. It is believed that he is the sole survivor of his tribe that was also uncontacted. This means that there is not anyone else in the world that knows the language and customs of the tribe than him. That makes him an important source of information that is impossible to get from anywhere else.

The Unknown Peruvian Tribe

This unnamed tribe was encountered by a group of tourists exploring the jungles of Peru. They filmed the entire encounter but struggled to communicate as the tribe did not speak English or Spanish, leading to a brief meeting.

After reviewing the recorded footage in Peru, authorities determined that it featured a previously unknown tribe. For decades, researchers have sought to find this group, and it turns out that they were accidentally discovered by a group of tourists!

The Surma People

This tribe from Ethiopia has not had any contact with the rest of the world for years now. You may have seen pictures of them; they are known for wearing giant plugs in their lips. They live in groups that can have several hundred members and don’t want to deal with any government and all, choosing to be left alone.

Throughout history, the Surma have steered clear of all the major world events and continued their peaceful lives. They are known to raise cattle. The first recorded time they were contacted by anyone outside the tribe was in the 1980s by Russian doctors. The Surma believed the doctors to be walking dead because of their light skin.