Rare encounter: Brazil villagers show man from uncontacted tribe in Amazon how to use a lighter

A rare encounter between a riverine community in Brazil’s Amazon and a member of an uncontacted Indigenous tribe has surprised the world. A video which has surfaced on social media shows the young man looking at a lighter, being demonstrated by the villagers, in amazement.

In a statement, the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai) said that the man made voluntary contact on Wednesday, around 7 pm local time. As told to The Associated Press by the local villagers, the barefooted, loincloth-wearing man appeared calm and in good health.

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He also had two wooden sticks with him that he waved. The locals requested anonymity, citing that the Indigenous bureau Funai instructed them not to speak about the incident to anyone.

Why did the tribal man make contact?

Speaking with the outlet, the villagers expressed that they thought the man was asking for fire. They also showed him a lighter and explained how it works. However, their efforts to teach the man how to use a lighter were unsuccessful.

Reportedly, Funai officials arrived soon after, and the man was served fish. Following this, he was taken to a nearby facility.

What did Fanui say?

“The Madeira Purus Ethnoenvironmental Protection Front (FPE), the General Coordination of Isolated and Recently Contacted Indians (CGIIRC) and the Secretariat of Indigenous Health (SESAI) have already taken steps to activate the contingency plan, at the local and national levels. The FPE team is already monitoring the situation on site , providing the necessary care for the isolated indigenous people, and awaiting the arrival of medical teams and foundation staff who are already traveling to the location, where they will remain for an indefinite period,” the agency said in a statement.

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According to The Associated Press, Funai in 2021 confirmed the existence of an isolated Indigenous group in the area, Mamoriá Grande. In 2024, the region was declared off-limits for non-Indigenous. Reportedly, the Amazon rainforest is home to the world’s largest number of uncontacted tribes.