Isolated Indigenous man returns to tribe in the Amazon rainforest after brief contact

A young man from an isolated Indigenous tribe appears on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Bela Rosa, in Brazil’s Amazon. (AP Photo)

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — A young man from an isolated Indigenous tribe who approached a riverine community in Brazil’s Amazon returned voluntarily to his people less than 24 hours later, Brazilian authorities said.

The encounter occurred around 7 p.m. local time Wednesday in Bela Rosa, a community along the Purus River in the southwestern Amazon. Footage obtained by The Associated Press shows him barefoot and wearing a small loincloth, seemingly calm and in good health as he carried two logs.

Locals believe 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. Officials from Brazil’s Indigenous affairs agency, Funai, arrived soon after and took him to a nearby facility.

Funai said in a statement Friday that the young man returned to the forest on Thursday afternoon. It added that a team of health professionals was sent to assess if the young man had been exposed to any disease to which isolated Indigenous tribes have no immunity. They also said surveillance has been established to prevent people from reaching the isolated tribe’s location.

As a policy, Brazil does not actively seek contact with these groups but instead establishes protected and monitored areas, such as Mamoriá Grande, near where the encounter occurred.

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Fabiano Maisonnave, The Associated Press