Last member of indigenous tribe in Brazil dies after decades of refusing contact with outside world | Abroad

Known as the “Man of the Hole,” he had lived in total seclusion for the past 26 years on the territory of the Tanaru tribe, deep in the Brazilian Amazon in the state of Rondonia, according to the nonprofit Survival International. He got his nickname because of his habit of making deep pits to trap and hide in animals, according to the organization.

The man has resisted all attempts to contact him, although authorities have continued to monitor him from a distance, occasionally leaving supplies for him.

According to Survival International, the rest of its tribe has been wiped out by several attacks since the 1970s, mainly from ranchers and land occupiers.

“No outsider knew this man’s name, or even anything about his tribe, and with his death the genocide of his people is complete,” said Fiona Watson, the group’s director of research and advocacy. “For this was indeed a genocide – the deliberate extermination of an entire nation by ranchers hungry for land and wealth.”

The man’s body was found in a hammock in a cabin on Aug. 23 by Funai officials. There were no signs of fighting, violence or the presence of other people in the area. He died of natural causes, and his body will undergo forensic examination by federal police, Funai said.

The last known video of the “Man of the Hole” was released by Funai in 2018, showing him chopping down a tree with an ax-like tool. Survival International said his abandoned camps provided clues about his lifestyle — he planted crops, including maize and papaya, and made houses out of straw and thatch.