A young man from an isolated Indigenous tribe in the Brazilian Amazon briefly emerged from the rainforest before voluntarily returning to his people less than a day later.
The encounter took place near the riverine community of Bela Rosa, situated along the Purus River, on Wednesday evening.
Footage shows the man, barefoot and wearing a small loincloth, appearing calm and healthy as he carried two logs. Locals believe he was seeking fire, and a video of the encounter shows a resident attempting to demonstrate the use of a lighter, though unsuccessfully. Officials from Funai, Brazil’s Indigenous affairs agency, arrived shortly after and escorted the man to a nearby facility. He returned to his tribe the following day.
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.
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 Mamoria Grande, was declared off-limits for non-Indigenous in December 2024.
It added that threats to the group include land-grabbing and potential conflicts with nearby communities.
The Amazon rainforest is home to the world’s largest number of uncontacted tribes.
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.
