Atxu Marimã was born in the Brazilian Amazon, into a large Hi-Merimã family living in isolation from mainstream society. His earliest memories are of playing in the forest and listening to his father telling stories around the campfire. But at the age of seven or eight, the arrival of armed loggers on their territory turned everything upside down: his family was forced to seek contact with a neighboring village. The consequences were dramatic: disease, death, and the loss of his language and culture.

Decades later, Atxu turned this experience into a commitment. Today, he works with FUNAI, the Brazilian government's indigenous affairs department, to protect the territories of peoples who choose to live uncontacted.

“The important thing is to fight for the land and for those who do not want contact. It is not about approaching them, but about ensuring that they can live in peace in their forests,” he…