'World's loneliest man' found dead in Brazil: Who was he?

Imagine living all alone, far away from civilisation in the depth of forests and not wanting to be contacted by anyone. For some, it might sound like a dream and for others a nightmare. This is how an unidentified man had been living in Brazil’s Amazon for the past 26 years before he was found dead this month. He was popularly known as the ‘Man of the Hole’ because of his habit of digging deep holes on the ground, some of which he used to trap animals while others appeared to be his hiding space. According to a report by BBC, his body was found outside his straw hut located inside the forest and there were no signs of violence. Let’s take a closer look at who this mysterious man dubbed “the world’s loneliest”. Who was the Man of the Hole? The man was the last surviving member of his tribe. He lived in Timaru, an indigenous area in the state of Rondônia in Brazil. According to The Guardian, officials of Funai – Brazil’s national Indigenous Affairs Agency – believe that a majority of his tribe were killed by ranchers who wanted to expand their land in the 1970s. In 1995, six of the remaining members of the tribe died in an attack by illegal miners, leaving him as the sole survivor. Not much is known about his tribe apart from the fact that it underwent countless attacks by local farmers since the 1970s. The Man of the Hole rejected any kind of contact with outsiders. Marcelo dos Santos, a retired explorer who monitored his wellbeing for Funai told The Guardian, “He didn’t trust anyone because he had many traumatising experiences with non-indigenous people.” It was only in 1996 that Funai became aware of his existence. Since then, the agency has taken the responsibility for his safety. By 1997, officials had fenced off a part of the land where the man could live without any threat. As he avoided any outside contact, it was not known what language the man spoke or which ethnic group he might have belonged to. According to a report by the Independent, the man had survived another attack in 2009. Following it, Funai feared that he had been killed after they found two discarded shotgun cartridges in the forest. However, it was later discovered that he was safe. Where did he live? The Man in the Hole lived in the Tanaru territory of Brazil. Tanaru is a small island of forest located in one of the most violent regions of the country, according to Survival International. Funai agent Altair José Algayer, who found the man’s body said that he lived in a hut made of straws. All the huts that the man had made over the years contained a three-metre-deep hole. The huts were almost identical in shape and size: a thatch structure with a single entrance and exit. According to Algayer, the holes may have had a spiritual significance for the man. There are some who believe that he used these holes as hiding places. As per on-ground evidence found over the years in the area, the man planted maize and manioc and collected honey as well as fruits such as papaya and bananas. How did he die? Funai had found his body in a hammock outside one of his huts last Tuesday. It is estimated that he was between 55 and 65 years old. As officials found no traces of violence or struggle, officials believe that he died of natural causes. Apart from this, the man’s hut was in order with utensils and objects in their usual places. Indigenous expert Marcelo dos Santos said that he thinks the man knew that he was about to die and that’s why he had placed feathers on himself. “He was waiting for death, there were no signs of violence,” he told the media. Santos added that he had died 40 to 50 days before the body was found in a decomposed state. After the discovery, the man’s body was sent to the state of Rondonia for forensic testing to determine whether he had contracted any disease. ‘Genocide of his people is complete’ According to an Independent report, campaigners fighting for the protection of indigenous people mourned the death of the Man of the Hole. Many have blamed local cattle ranchers for massacring his tribe. Monte Reel, a journalist who worked closely with Funai in the region, wrote in his book called The Last of the Tribe, “The ranchers, as it turned out in later reports, had hired people to shoot the indigenous people and then remove the evidence from the village with tractors, trying to hide their presence from searches by Funai. Those responsible for the massacre were never punished.” The research and advocacy director of Survival International, said, “No outsider knew this man’s name, or even very much about his tribe – and with his death the genocide of his people is complete. For this was indeed a genocide – the deliberate wiping out of an entire people by cattle ranchers hungry for land and wealth.” “He symbolised both the appalling violence and cruelty inflicted on indigenous peoples worldwide in the name of colonisation and profit, but also their resistance,” she added. Tribes threatened in Brazil Tribal groups in Brazil live under constant threat as illegal miners, loggers and farmers encroach on their territories. According to a report by The Guardian, the number of tribes whose lands are under threat have soared since the far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, took power in 2018. The number of land invasions rose from 109 in 2018 to 305 in 2021. Bolsonaro has been very vocal about his contempt for indigenous people. Before assuming power, he vowed not to grant any land to the tribes. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.