A lone indigenous man appeared unexpectedly in a populated village deep in the Amazon. The young man, carrying two logs, appeared to be gesturing for fire.
On Wednesday evening in Bela Rosa, a community on the Purus River in the southwestern Amazon, a young man in a loincloth appeared among the locals. Barefoot and with two logs in his hands, he seemed to be trying to catch their attention, AP News reports.
The man appeared to be in good health and showed no fear of the locals. The incident was captured on video, with residents trying to teach him how to use a lighter – without success.
Isolated communities in the area
In 2021, Funai (Fundação Nacional dos Povos Indígenas), Brazil’s national authority for indigenous rights, confirmed the existence of isolated groups of indigenous peoples in the area after finding abandoned camps and other signs of human activity, but no individuals had been observed at the time.
In December 2024, the Mamoriá Grande area was declared off-limits to non-indigenous persons to protect the isolated groups from external influences.
Medical examination
The Funai soon arrived on the scene and took the man to a nearby facility. There, he underwent a medical examination to ensure that he had not been exposed to diseases to which isolated indigenous tribes lack immunity. On Thursday, he returned to the forest.
The authorities have put in place extra surveillance to prevent outsiders from trying to access the isolated tribes. The Amazon rainforest has the largest number of uncontacted tribes in the world, including the Zuruahã, Himarimã, Jamamadi, Apurinã, Banawá and Kulina.
Brazil has a policy of not actively seeking contact with isolated communities, instead creating protected and monitored areas. However, it is unclear to which tribe the young man belonged.
