men on the Amazon River

16 years ago, they nearly came face-to-face with the 'Arrow People'

Deep in the jungles of Brazil, Indian rights advocate Sydney Possuelo raced to save people he hoped never to meet: the uncontacted Flecheiros.

Leading expeditions with missionary zeal, Sydney Possuelo, right center, is driven by a gospel of his own: "I don't need to know what language the Flecheiros speak or what gods they worship. I just want to protect them."

Photograph by Nicolas Reynard, Nat Geo Image Collection
This story first appeared in the August 2003 issue of National Geographic magazine.
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