Someone To Watch Over Me

I think science is important. I believe that we should continue to discover all new forms of life wherever they might be, including other planets. That is why I find it difficult to reconcile my feelings about the discovery of Amazon Indians from one of the world's last uncontacted tribes. They have been photographed from the air. Pictures released on Thursday showed them painted bright red and brandishing bows and arrows.
Stephen Corry, the director of Survival International, which supports tribal people around the world said, "The world needs to wake up to this, and ensure that their territory is protected in accordance with international law. Otherwise, they will soon be made extinct." The thing that the world needs to wake up to, according to Corry, is the way that illegal logging in Brazil and Peru is encroaching on the territory of these primitive tribes.
While it is a certainty that the destruction of the rain forests of the Amazon is a crime, I find myself wondering about the need to keep seeking out "undiscovered tribes" to confirm that they are, in fact, undiscovered. The fact that most of the photos show men poised to fire arrows at the airplane passing overhead suggests that they do indeed want to be left alone. One can imagine the excitement in the cockpit: "Did you see that? Bring it around again so I can get another shot of the angry villagers!"
This begs the question of just how primitive the will continue to be, after their brush with the noisy metal bird. Part of the Prime Directive in "Star Trek" was a very strict non-interference policy. I imagine that Captain Kirk would have found some way to beam down to the surface near the village, painted himself up red, and wandered in to observe the natives close-up and personal. He might have even found a way to nab a few moments with some red-painted babe. But would he have posted the pictures on Al Gore's Internet?
I suspect it's just a matter of time before this becomes the next great vacation hot spot. I blame the voice-over: "...To explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before, and build theme parks there."