Man from uncontacted Indigenous tribe emerges in Amazon, and villagers demonstrate a lighter

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — In a rare encounter, a young man from an isolated Indigenous tribe approached a riverine community in Brazil’s Amazon, the country’s Indigenous affairs agency and local witnesses said Thursday.

The encounter occurred around 7 p.m. Wednesday in Bela Rosa, a community along the Purus River in the southwestern Amazon. Barefoot and wearing a small loincloth, the young man appeared calm and in good health as he waved two wooden sticks, a villager told The Associated Press. The villager spoke on condition of anonymity, saying the Indigenous bureau Funai told locals not to discuss the incident.

The villager said locals believed the man was asking for fire. Smartphone video of the encounter showed one resident trying unsuccessfully to show the man how to use a lighter. Funai officials arrived soon after, and after the man was served fish, he was taken to a nearby facility operated by the group. It wasn’t immediately clear who shot the video.

Funai said in a statement Thursday that a team on site is “providing the necessary care” and awaiting the arrival of a medical team.

A member of the nearby Juma tribe — whose original population has dwindled to just three women — was expected to arrive at the base on Friday to try to communicate with him.

In 2021, Funai confirmed the existence of an isolated Indigenous group in the area after finding abandoned camps and other evidence, but none of their members had been seen until Wednesday. The area, known as Mamoriá Grande, was declared off-limits for non-Indigenous in December 2024. Threats to the group include land-grabbing and potential conflicts with nearby communities, it added.

The Amazon rainforest is home to the world’s largest number of uncontacted tribes. As a policy, Brazil does not actively seek contact with them but instead creates protected and monitored areas.

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