The Ayoreo, a nation of survivors in the Chaco

The Ayoreo are an indigenous ethnic group of the Paraguayan-Bolivian Chaco that remained relatively independent in its territory until a few decades ago. In recent years, the Ayoreo communities suffered an invasion of their lands by large landowners and were forced to migrate. Some retreated to more isolated places and others approached the outskirts of the towns. In Paraguay they were associated with the Mennonite dairy colonies where they obtained small jobs in dairy farms and towns, often in abusive conditions.

They suffered the cultural aggression of different churches, originally the Catholic Church,  and at later date some evangelical churches and the Mennonites themselves.

At present it is estimated that there are about 8,000 Ayoreo, approximately half in Paraguay and the rest in Bolivia.

Report of "Survival International"

There are several different subgroups of Ayoreos. The most isolated are the totobiegosodes (whose name means "people of the place of wild pigs").

Since 1969 many of them have been expelled from the jungle, but some still avoid any contact with foreigners.

His first lasting contact with whites took place during the 40s and 50s, when Mennonite farmers established colonies on their land. The Ayoreos resisted this invasion, and there were deaths on both sides.

In 1979 and 1986 the American fundamentalist group "New Tribes Mission" (MNT), helped to organize "human hunting actions" in which a large number of totobiegosodes were forcibly removed from the forest. Many Ayoreos died in these encounters and others succumbed later because of diseases.

Report from the Chaco

A special report from the Paraguayan Chaco. 
Recently contacted Ayoreo Indians are concerned about the future of their uncontacted relatives.

Other groups of totobiegosodes left the forest in 1998 and 2004, since the continuous invasions in their land made them leave their homes constantly and live in very harsh conditions. An unknown number is still living in the jungle.

The biggest current threat facing totobiegosodes is embodied by the Brazilian firm Yaguareté Porá, which has 78,000 hectares in the heart of its territory. Nearby have been sighted recently isolated Ayoreo Indians.

Yaguareté plans to cut most of this area to create cattle grazing, which will undoubtedly have devastating consequences for these Indians and their ability to continue living there.

In 2013 a report from the University of Maryland (USA) revealed that the Paraguayan Chaco has the fastest rate of deforestation in the world.

The lands inhabited by the Ayoreo are some of the last remaining wooded areas in the Chaco region, a great testament to the conservationist skills of the tribe.

However, the pressure to alter the forest is immense. At present, almost all the land of the Ayoreo is in the hands of landowners who hire teams of workers to cut the forest of valuable wood and thus be able to introduce livestock. Many of these landlords are Mennonites, but most of the land of the Ayoreo has been bought by wealthy Paraguayans and, especially, by Brazilian livestock companies.