In 1943, Boas joined an expedition into the Brazilian interior to map possible agricultural land. He came across so many “primitive” tribes that he realized they needed to be protected from the encroachment of modern society. The government resisted protection — it wanted to “open up” the interior.
Boas and his brother Claudio stayed in the jungle for 30 years and made “first contact” with many tribes, and learned a dozen languages to communicate with them. At the same time, the state of Mato Grosso was selling the tribes’ land out from under them, and the Boas brothers’ protests nearly cost them their lives. But thanks to international pressure, in 1961 the Brazilian Government created the 5.6 million acre Xingu National Park, where 17 tribes were settled to live in peace. It is estimated today that about 6,000 people live in total isolation from modern society in the park. Claudio died in 1998; Orlando died December 12 in Sao Paulo. He was 88.