A daring photographer has captured a series of intimate images of an infamous South American tribe who killed five American missionaries over 60 years ago.
The Huaorani tribe, who reside in the Ecuadorian rainforest, came into the spotlight back in the '50s, shortly after the group of missionaries tried to convert them to Christianity.
At first, they began dropping off gifts, which were received well by the tribe. After several months of this back-and-forth, in 1956 the Christians established a camp not far from the Huaorani settlements.
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Their efforts met a tragic end when all five - Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Peter Fleming, and Roger Youderian - were speared dead by a group of Huaorani warriors, the case drawing attention from across the globe.
The situation changed when, several years after the incident, the widow of one of the victims and the sister of another, Elisabeth Elliot and Rachel Saint, dared to return to Ecuador as missionaries and live among the tribe.
Their venture ended very differently with the conversion of numerous Huaorani residents.
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Although the case exposed the tribe to influence from the outside world, a select few remain untouched, living a simple technology-free life in small forest settlements.
And while contact has remained scarce since then, 56-year-old Václav Šilha from Prague, Czech Republic, decided to pack up his cameras and head to South America to capture their daily lives.
He said: "They live a simple life, they are mostly hunters and gatherers. Some men remain fierce warriors.
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"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."
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The photographer's stunning shots of the indigenous Ecuadorians show one man wielding a six-foot spear, a chef regurgitating undercooked food into a metal pan and a nude tribesman smiling with a wild pig he'd hunted.
Václav said: "I visited Huaorani with a local guide the tribe knew, and so I was fortunately warmly welcomed.
"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."
That said, for many of the Huaorani tribe, outside influences have come into play over the years.
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Václav added: "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."
Featured Image Credit: Media Drum WorldTopics: World News