A man from one of the Amazon Rainforest’s uncontacted tribes ventured into the rural community of Bela Rosa this week, the AP reported. Brazilian authorities hope to establish communication with him as early as today.
Brazil’s Fundação Nacional dos Povos Indígenas (National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples, or Funai) said in a statement that the individual made contact voluntarily around 7 p.m. local time on Wednesday night.
The young man walked into Bela Rosa, in the southwestern Amazon, barefoot and wearing only a loincloth, one villager told the AP. The man was waving two sticks, leading locals to believe he was asking for fire. A smartphone video shared online showed the individual attempting to use a local’s lighter; according to the AP, shortly after the video was taken the man was fed (fish) and brought to a Funai facility.
As Funai noted, several local and state entities had activated contingency plans for the event and medical and service staff were heading to the community, where they will remain for an indeterminate amount of time.
The AP reported that a member of the Juma tribe—a nearby group, now down to just three individuals—is expected to arrive at the Funai facility where the uncontacted man is staying in an attempt to communicate with him.
There are at least 100 uncontacted groups in Brazil’s Amazon, according to Funai. The foundation’s general rule is to avoid contact with indigenous groups—though deforestation and deliberate searches by third parties threaten their way of life. Funai routinely monitors the known uncontacted tribes across the Amazon to ensure that the communities are not being interfered with or harmed by development or bad actors.
A major threat to uncontacted communities in the Amazon are Eurasian diseases, for which they have no built up resistance or immunities. As Survival International grimly points out: “It is not unusual for 50% of a people to be wiped out within a year of first contact, by diseases such as measles and influenza which can be brought in by loggers, missionaries, miners or other land-grabbers.”
To be clear, “uncontacted” does not equate to “oblivious,” and experts believe that uncontacted tribes are generally aware of communities around them. Some, such as the Sentinelese of the Indian Ocean’s North Sentinel Island, have made it very clear that they want to be left alone—sometimes through violent means.
According to the AP, Funai first confirmed the presence of an indigenous group in the area in 2021, when foundation officials discovered abandoned camps. Wednesday marks the first recorded sighting of a member of the group.
Funai stated in the release that land speculation and local conflicts are major challenges to the foundation’s goal of safeguarding the uncontacted people in the Mamoriá Grande area, which was declared off-limits for non-indigenous peoples in December.
Of course, when an uncontacted person makes their way into contacted society, it’s a different kettle of fish. Here’s hoping the Juma individual can communicate with the young man and determine his motivations for showing up earlier this week.