Solar-powered audio devices being used by missionaries to reach out to secluded tribes in Brazil, according to an investigation
In the heart of the Amazon rainforest, the Javari Valley Indigenous Territory holds the highest concentration of uncontacted human groups in the world. To protect these isolated tribes, Brazil's National Foundation for the Indian (FUNAI) made it illegal to enter the valley in 1987. However, recent investigations by The Guardian and O Globo have uncovered a surprising development.
Evidence suggests that solar-powered audio devices have been left in the Javari Valley by Christian missionaries. The devices, named "Messenger," play biblical readings in Portuguese and Spanish. One device, identified by The Guardian, announces a quote from Philippians chapter 3, verse 4.
These devices have been found in various locations, with locals reporting up to seven audio devices in the valley. However, the investigation secured evidence of only one. In a Korubo village, the device was discovered, and it is now in the hands of a Korubo woman named Mayá.
In Touch Ministries, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley, a prominent Christian pastor, has been associated with these devices. While the organization does not produce or distribute such devices, their website showcases a version of the Messenger device and similar gadgets. The website emphasises the importance of the Messenger in spreading the message of salvation to those who have never heard.
Seth Grey, In Touch Ministries' chief operating officer, stated that while they know of other organizations' missionaries bringing Messengers to prohibited regions, they themselves do not go anywhere they are not allowed. The organization's mission is to lead people worldwide into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ by providing biblical teaching through sermons, videos, and stories of faith.
Leaving gadgets outdoors poses a lower risk compared to direct physical contact, but it still violates Brazil's public policy for the protection of isolated indigenous peoples. The risk of transmitting devastating diseases to communities with little to no immunity is associated with contact with isolated tribal people.
The Korubo, members of a recently contacted group of indigenous people known for their war clubs, are one of the tribes potentially affected by these devices. As the investigation continues, it remains to be seen how these findings will impact the ongoing efforts to protect the uncontacted tribes of the Javari Valley.
- Gizmodo might report on the controversial use of solar-powered audio devices in the Javari Valley, as these devices, named "Messenger," have been left by Christian missionaries and play religious readings, potentially impacting the uncontacted indigenous tribes.
- Despite the claim by In Touch Ministries that they do not distribute the Messenger devices in prohibited regions, the technology they promote, with its emphasis on spreading the message of salvation, could be a subject of debate in the context of the future of scientific, ethical, and cultural relationships with uncontacted tribes in the Javari Valley.
