Isolated Indigenous Person who made contact in the Amazon returns to the forest

By Ana Pastana – From Cenarium

MANAUS (AM) – The isolated indigenous person from the Mamoriá Grande Indigenous Territory (IT) who made contact with residents of the Bela Rosa community, located between the municipalities of Tapauá and Lábrea, in the interior of Amazonas, in the Rio Purus region, returned to the forest on the afternoon of Thursday, the 13th. The information comes from the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai), which provided updates on the interaction between the isolated indigenous person and non-indigenous people.

According to a statement released by Funai, after the Mamoriá Grande Ethno-Environmental Protection Base (Bape) received reports of the isolated indigenous person’s contact with the community on the night of Wednesday, the 12th, a team from the agency went to the location to monitor the young indigenous man, who was barefoot, wearing an outfit covering the front of his genitals, and speaking an unidentified language. He was taken to Bape to maintain his sanitary isolation.

A Joint Ordinance from the Ministry of Health (MS) No. 4,094/2018 established that Funai must inform the Ministry of Health’s Indigenous Health Secretariat (Sesai) about the presence of isolated indigenous people in contact with non-indigenous individuals. However, it is up to Sesai to decide on the actions to be taken regarding medical and sanitary assistance.

Following the MS ordinance, according to Funai, two Situation Rooms were held on Thursday, with the participation of relevant authorities, including Sesai and the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples (MPI). It was not specified whether the ministry’s participation was in person or remote.

“While Sesai assessed the epidemiological situation of the residents, Funai monitored the territory and advised the population on protective measures for the isolated indigenous people of the Mamoriá Grande Indigenous Territory,” the statement read.

Reinforcements

Teams from Funai, Sesai, the Coordination of the Madeira-Purus Ethno-Environmental Protection Front (CFPE-MP) – in the Amazonas region – and the General Coordination of Isolated and Recently Contacted Indigenous Peoples (CGIIRC) are on their way to the Mamoriá Bape to reinforce protection for both the indigenous person and the community.

The group is expected to remain in the area indefinitely to monitor the situation. According to reports, an indigenous collaborator from the Juma people will assist the CGIIRC team. The professional, whose name has not been disclosed, is experienced in monitoring isolated indigenous groups and speaks the Kawahiva language—believed by authorities to be the same language spoken by the isolated indigenous person who made contact with the community.

Recent Contact

The isolated indigenous person made contact with residents of the Bela Rosa Community, located between Tapauá and Lábrea (AM), along the Rio Purus, on the night of Wednesday, the 12th. Speaking to CENARIUM, the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai) stated that the contact was voluntarily initiated by the indigenous person, who belongs to the Mamoriá Grande Indigenous Territory, an area placed under restricted use by the agency in December of last year.

According to Funai, the contact took place around 7 PM in the community, which is about five kilometers from the restricted area’s Bape. After the approach, the FPE-MP began monitoring the situation and established a sanitary cordon to prevent contamination risks.

In one of the videos recorded by community residents, the indigenous person appears visibly disoriented by his surroundings and the people around him. Speaking an unidentified language, he interacts using gestures and words, seemingly astonished by the fire produced by a lighter.

A resident repeatedly lights the lighter and then instructs the indigenous person to try doing the same. Observing the motion, the indigenous man attempts to mimic the action. At another moment, he is seen sitting on a wooden table, facing the fire on the ground. He holds the lighter in his right hand, examining it as if trying to understand the phenomenon.

Watch below:

Other Contacts

Residents of the region reported that signs of isolated indigenous groups have become increasingly common. In audio recordings obtained by the report, a resident stated that their presence is not unprecedented between Lábrea and Pauini. “We’ve seen these signs before. This is not the first time isolated indigenous people have appeared here,” said the unidentified resident.

Another resident mentioned that discussions about the presence of isolated indigenous people near the Bela Rosa community have been ongoing for some time. “People had already said there were ‘wild’ Indians around. Now, one suddenly appeared, naked, and no one knows him. He doesn’t say anything that makes sense,” they recounted.

“We found three huts, very clean, with only the entrance and exit holes,” described one of the residents, reinforcing signs of the presence of uncontacted indigenous people in the region.

Edition of Revista CENARIUM

The cover story of CENARIUM Magazine‘s October 2024 edition details Funai’s stance on sightings of isolated indigenous groups in the Amazon. The agency highlighted the complexity of confirming such sightings, which require long-term investigations.

Translated from Portuguese by Gustô Alves