A South American tribe whose members murdered five Americans more than 60 years ago have been caught on camera.
Stunning shots of the Huaorani tribe, from Ecuador, show killer instinct as one man wields a six-foot spear, a chef regurgitates undercooked food into a metal pan, and a nude tribesman smiles with a wild pig he has hunted.
The tribe, which are known to hunt monkeys with poisonous blowguns, exclusively live in the Amazon rainforest in South America.
An infamous South American tribe whose members murdered five Americans more than 60 years ago have been caught on camera
One stunning shot of the Huaorani tribe shows tribesmen gathered around a fire as they cook a wild pig which they have hunted
The tribe, which are known to hunt monkeys with poisonous blowguns, exclusively live in the Amazon rainforest in South America
The Huaoranis received global attention in 1956 after killing five American men who tried to convert the tribe to Christianity as part of a project known as Operation Auca.
While the tribe have embraced the use of hunting rifles, they largely live a simple technology-free life in small forest settlements and it is thought their language is isolated from other local ones.
Other pictures show tribesmen carrying their blowpipes, cooking a whole hog on an open fire, and paddling a canoe.
They are all seen wearing thin pieces of string made from wild cotton, called a kome, around their waists.
Among men, this string holds up their penis by being tied around their foreskin, while women have it tied loosely around their hips.
In recent times, deforestation has caused the Huaoranis to move further into the forests, but their water supply is still ravaged with pollution from nearby oil operations.
The incredible images were snapped by photographer, Václav Silha, 56, from Prague, Czech Republic.
While the tribe have embraced the use of hunting rifles, they live a largely technology-free life in small forest settlements and it is thought their language is isolated from other local ones
Other pictures show tribesmen carrying their blowpipes, cooking a whole hog on an open fire, and paddling a canoe
They are all seen wearing thin pieces of string made from wild cotton, called a kome, around their waists
‘They live a simple life, they are mostly hunters and gatherers. Some men remain fierce warriors,’ said Václav.
‘I was amazed by the power of their traditions, knowledge of nature and their feeling of community.
‘The word Huaorani in translation means human beings and I must say that they were some of the most beloved people I have ever met.
‘To this day, there is a very small group of members of this ethnic group who reject, very aggressively, any contact with the outside world.
Among men, this string holds up their penis by being tied around their foreskin, while women have it tied loosely around their hips
The incredible images were snapped by photographer, Václav Silha, 56, from Prague, Czech Republic
The Huaorani were first discovered by Shell Oil employees in the late 1940s. The Ecuadorian government continue to encroach on their land to drill for the fossil fuel
‘Oil and mining companies mean their way of life is changing year after year.
‘Since 1956 a lot of time has passed, and today some are using a lot of modern technologies such as motorboat, chainsaw, satellite phone.
‘For thousands of years, they have gathered their knowledge of nature. But over the last few decades, young people have lost this knowledge.
‘When I asked a group of boys to make a fire by rubbing the lines together, they were no longer able to do it without a lighter.’
They are all seen wearing thin pieces of string made from wild cotton, called a kome, around their waists
In recent times, deforestation has caused the Huaoranis to move further into the forests, but their water supply is still ravaged with pollution from nearby oil operations
Two members of the Huaorani tribe tread through ankle-deep water as they carry their traditional blow pipes on their shoulders
The Huaoranis received global attention in 1956 after killing five American men who tried to convert the tribe to Christianity as part of a project known as Operation Auca. Pictured: The group was made up of Peter Fleming (left), Ed McCully (centre), Jim Elliot (right), as well as Nate Saint, and Roger Youderian
The Huaorani were first discovered by Shell Oil employees in the late 1940s. The Ecuadorian government continue to encroach on their land to drill for the fossil fuel.
Their first peaceful contact with outsiders – or ‘cowodi’ as the tribe call them – was in 1958.
Mr Silha took the spectacular set of shots on a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.
‘I visited Huaorani with a local guide the tribe knew, and so I was fortunately warmly welcomed,’ he added.
‘I didn’t show them the pictures and during the time I spent there, I tried to be the least disturbing as possible for them to give them space to behave completely naturally.’
WHAT WAS OPERATION AUCA?
Operation Auca was an attempt to by five evangelical missionaries to convert the Huaorani people to Christianity. Pictured: Missionary Jim Elliot
Operation Auca was an attempt to by five evangelical missionaries to convert the Huaorani people, who were previously uncontacted, to Christianity.
The group, which was made up of Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Peter Fleming and Roger Youderian, started to make regular flights to the tribesmen in 1955.
They dropped off gifts which the Huaorani people initially responded to with presents of their own.
The missionaries then established a camp a few kilometres from the the tribal settlements.
However, all five men were killed in 1956 after being attacked with spears by the Huaorani people.
Their evangelising attempts and later demise was covered in international publications and subsequently dramatised in the 2006 film the End Of The Spear.
Despite the deaths, the wives of both Mr Elliot and Mr Saint returned to Ecuador to live among the Huaorani, which led to the conversion to Christianity of some of the tribesmen involved in their husband’s killings.
The women’s involvement also opened up the tribe to greater exposure from the outside world, leading some to claim that their original culture has declined.