The last member of an indigenous group from the Amazon rainforest who had never had contact with the outside world died in Brazil. The man, whose name is unknown, had remained in total isolation for the past 26 years, but had been renamed the Man of the Hole, because he dug deep holes, mostly used for trapping animals or for hiding. The body of the loneliest man in the world, and a symbol of indigenous genocide, was found covered in feathers on August 23, in a hammock outside his straw hut. No signs of violence were found on the body and for this reason he is thought to have died of natural causes at the age of 60. The man was the last of an indigenous group who lived in the Tanaru area, in the state of Rondônia, on the border with Bolivia.
Most of his tribe is believed to have been killed as early as the 1970s by ranchers who wanted to expand their pastures. In 1995, six of the remaining members of his tribe were killed in an attack by illegal miners, making him the only survivor. The National Foundation of the Indian (Funai) only became aware of his survival in 1996 and since then had tried to monitor his movements, to guarantee his safety. Since the man had avoided any contact with strangers, it is not known what language he spoke or what ethnic group he belonged to. In 2018, Funai members had managed to film him during a chance encounter in the jungle. In the video, the Man in the Hole is seen cutting a tree with a rudimentary tool that resembles an ax. He hadn’t been seen since, but Funai agents often came across the straw huts he built and the deep holes he dug.