Tribal peoples are those who have lived in tribal societies for many
generations; they are usually the original inhabitants of the places
they live in, or have at least lived there for hundreds if not
thousands of years. They usually provide for themselves, living off the
land by hunting, fishing, gathering or growing vegetables or keeping
their own animals. They usually also have an extremely strong cultural,
emotional and spiritual attachment to their land.
Tribal peoples are not necessarily the same as indigenous peoples.
Indigenous peoples' are all the original inhabitants of a country, but
tribal peoples' are only those who live in distinct tribal societies.
For instance, all Aborigines in Australia are indigenous', but only
some still live in tribal societies and see themselves as tribal people.
Tribal peoples live in 60 countries around the world, and number over
150 million individuals. This is a huge number, equal to more than half
of the population of the United States.
The loss of their land. Although their land ownership rights are
recognised in international law, they are not properly respected
anywhere in the world. Often their lands are invaded, by settlers, by
businesses such as oil, mining or logging companies, by cattle
ranchers, by private or government development' schemes such as
road-building and dams, or for nature reserves and game parks. Disease
usually follows such invasions. The loss of their land also makes
tribal peoples less able to feed themselves and so to live a healthy
life. In extreme cases, tribal people are killed or imprisoned to get
them off their land. Behind such invasions and attacks lie greed and a
racism which sees tribal peoples as backward' or primitive'.
Survival estimates that there are over 100 uncontacted peoples in the world today. Many of these live in the Amazon, but there are also large numbers in Papua (Indonesia). In many cases, they may have had contact with outsiders in the past, and they may well have limited contact with other nearby tribes.
Survival helps tribal peoples defend their lives,
protect their lands and determine their own futures.
Survival was founded in 1969, in response to reports of the atrocities being committed against Brazilian Indians.
Survival was founded in London, and still has its head office there. It also has offices in Berlin, Madrid, Milan and Paris.
Survival is the only significant organisation in its field which does
not accept money from any government. Our supporters finance everything
we do, and give Survival its powerful and independent voice.
Sign an online petition, take part in a letter writing campaign,
volunteer for Survival, help to raise awareness of Survival in your
local area – please see our 'how you can help' section for more details.
Survival works through education, supporting tribal peoples' own
organisations and campaigns. Our educational work raises awareness of the
existence and problems of tribal peoples and shows the public that
tribal peoples are not primitive, but just live differently from other
peoples.
We turn public attention onto governments and companies which are
violating tribal peoples' rights. Survival's supporters write letters
to those in power, and Survival ensures these cases attract press
attention around the world. Survival believes that in the long-term,
public opinion is the most effective force for change.
Yes. Over the years, Survival has persuaded governments to recognise
tribal land ownership (for instance the land of the Nukak in Colombia),
forced companies to pull out of harmful projects on tribal land (for
instance, logging companies in the land of the Udege in Siberia) and
helped achieve better recognition of tribal peoples' situations and
their rights around the world. But there is much still to do!
With about 150 million tribal people in the world, almost all of them
facing severe problems, there is potentially an almost infinite work
load for Survival. Our case selection is based on our ability to work
effectively on any given case – this in turn depends on a wide range of
criteria such as: the reliability and continuity of our information;
the gravity of the situation they are facing; the degree to which we
believe our work can make a real difference; the degree to which
improvements in this area would have a knock on effect for others;
whether any other organisation is already working on the case; whether
we are sure of what the people themselves want; and so on.
Survival does not run any projects overseas – we do fund some projects
with tribal peoples, but these are run by the tribe itself. Survival
bases its research on direct contact with the peoples with whom we
work. In practical terms, this means that our own staff carry out
extensive research in the field; we also have a large informal network
of contacts, both tribal and non-tribal, permanently on the ground,
with whom we are in constant contact. We do not, however, send any
volunteers into the field, or sponsor any visitors other than our own
staff. But we are always willing to hear from people with information
about or high-quality photographs of tribal peoples, or those with
relevant interests and experience who are keen to work for Survival.
Survival does not have any official work placement schemes, but we do
make use of volunteers in all our offices. If you would like to
volunteer in Paris, Milan or Madrid,
please contact them directly. If you would like to volunteer in London,
you can download a volunteer application form from this site.
Survival is always willing to hear from enthusiastic individuals who
would like to work with us, although please bear in mind that job
vacancies do not come up that frequently. We are happy to hear from you
at any time, however, and will keep you in mind for positions that come
up in the future. If you are interested in working in Paris, Milan or Madrid,
please contact them directly. If you would like to apply to work in
London, you can download our standard job application.
Speculative application form (PDF)
