The sole survivor of the Amazon tribe, the sole inhabitant of the Tanaru indigenous territory in Rondônia state in the western Brazilian Amazon, has died.
On August 23, 2022, the “Aboriginal man in the hole” was found in a hammock outside his thatched hut.
He is believed to have died of natural causes at the age of 60, living alone after the massacre of his tribe decades ago. No signs of violence or fighting were reported.
Safety
A Funai patrolman, Altair José Algayer, discovered the body during a routine visit and said the Aboriginal covered himself with macaw feathers, thought to be because “he was waiting to die”.
Starting in the 1970s, most of his tribe was killed in a series of raids. In 1995, there were only six members of his tribe – they were killed in an attack by illegal miners, making the “Native in the Hole” the last surviving members.
Little is known about him or his people – like his language – because he refuses to contact him.
The Brazilian Agency for Indigenous Affairs (Funai) was aware of his existence in 1966 when it began monitoring the territory to ensure his safety.
Funai has a policy of avoiding contact with isolated groups and has protected his area since the 1990s. A campaign strives to expand his small territory by 3,000 hectares to give him more space and more game to hunt.
protected
He is known to outsiders as “the native of the hole” because of his habit of building deep holes – some with sharp wooden stakes, possibly to trap animals, others for hiding. Filmed by government team A chance encounter in 2018.
One of the most violent regions in Brazil, the Tanaru region is located on a small forested island in a vast ocean of pastures. Survival International has campaigned for years to protect his land with groups in Brazil.
Fiona Watson, director of research and advocacy at Survival International, led a government watchdog team to the region in 2004, wrote an account her visit. She described his small patch of forest as “creepy” because she could “feel him watching our every move”.
alone
On learning of his death, she said: “No outsider knew the man’s name, not even his tribe – with his death the genocide of his people was completely over. Because it really was a Genocide – Land and wealth-hungry ranchers deliberately wipe out entire peoples.
“He symbolized the appalling violence and cruelty inflicted on indigenous peoples around the world in the name of colonization and profit, as well as their resistance.
