By: Kloe Adams

Games Creator

The Akuntsu, an indigenous tribe located in the state of Rondônia in western Brazil, had only three surviving members in the beginning of 2025: Pugapia and her two daughters, Aiga and Babawru. The Akuntsu occupy a small patch of forest, which Funai, the Brazilian government’s Indian affairs department, recognized and demarcated. Cattle ranches and soya plantations surround the small piece of land, replacing the once extensive rainforests of Rondônia, which were home to many tribes. While Funai legally recognizes Akuntsu territory and maintains a permanent presence there, ranchers still have buildings, employees, and herds of cattle in the territory.

Encroachment on Akuntsu territory began in the 1970s when the government backed a push to occupy the rainforest during Brazil’s military regime. Around the same time, an infrastructure program promoted migration to the Amazon, including paving a highway across the state. Additionally, the Brazilian government promised settlers land titles if they cleared the forest for agriculture and risked losing claims if Indigenous people were present. As a result, hired gunmen targeted Indigenous groups such as the Akuntsu in violent attacks. When Funai agents first made contact with the Akuntsu in 1995, only seven survivors remained. The last Akuntsu man died in 2017, leaving Pugapia, Aiga, and Babawru. The ages of the three women are uncertain, as they have chosen to remain isolated from the non-Indigenous world. 

Pugapia’s daughters decided they would not become mothers. The absence of other men in their community was a driving force behind their decision, as well as their belief that their world was disorganized. Amanda Villa, an anthropologist with the Observatory of Isolated Peoples, said, “You can trace this decision directly to the violent context they lived through. They have this somewhat catastrophic understanding.” However, late into 2025, Babawru gave birth to a boy, Akyp, after becoming pregnant by a Kanoe man. Linguist Carolina Aragon, the only outsider able to communicate with the three Akuntsu women, noted the women are embarking on a “new chapter,” choosing to welcome the child and adapt their traditions with support from the Kanoe. “This child is not only a symbol of the resistance of the Akuntsu people, but also a source of hope for Indigenous peoples,” said Joenia Wapichana, former Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil. “He represents how recognition, protection, and the management of this land are extremely necessary.”

Funai secured not only territorial protection for the Akuntsu but also arranged spiritual support from an allied shaman, allowing the women to feel safe bringing new life into the world. 

(Sources: Survival International, AP News)