Man of the Hole
Man of the Hole | |
---|---|
![]() The Man of the Hole in 2018 | |
Born | c. 1960s |
Died | c. July 2022 (aged c. 60) Tanaru Indigenous Territory, Rondônia, Brazil |
Known for | Last member of an uncontacted people of Brazil |
The Man of the Hole
It is not known what
Surviving genocide
The Man of the Hole was not a voluntary
Later life
FUNAI first became aware of the Man of the Hole's isolated existence in 1996.
Under Brazil's constitution, Indigenous peoples have the right to lands they "traditionally occupy". In 2007, FUNAI officially demarcated 8,000 hectares (31 sq mi) of his land as a protected Indigenous Territory,[10] the Tanaru Indigenous Territory.[11] After its establishment, FUNAI monitored him and tried to prevent intrusions into the area.[6] Despite this, the Man of the Hole was attacked by gunmen in November 2009 but managed to survive.[13][14][15][16]
Although he avoided further direct contact with others, the Man of the Hole was aware that he was monitored by outsiders. FUNAI occasionally left gifts of tools and seeds for him, and thus "engendered a certain level of trust".[17] He sometimes signaled to observing teams to avoid pitfalls he had dug either as defense or to trap animals. In 2018, FUNAI released a video of him in order to raise global awareness of the threats to the uncontacted peoples in Brazil.[6] In the video, the man, who was presumed to be in his 50s at the time, appeared to be in good health.[18][19]
Death
On 24 August 2022, the Man of the Hole was found dead in his last home by FUNAI agent Altair José Algayer.[1] He was found "lying down in the hammock, and ornamented [with macaw feathers] as if waiting for death".[2] There were no signs of violence or any other disturbance before his corpse had been discovered by FUNAI. It was estimated that he had died in July and was about 60 years old at the time of his death.[1] The body was transferred to the state capital Porto Velho for autopsy, in an attempt to establish the cause of death.[2] The man's burial, originally scheduled for 14 October, finally took place on 4 November after a court order to FUNAI to release his body.[20] He was buried in a traditional indigenous funeral at the same location where his body had been found in August. His burial place was desecrated by farmers shortly after, leading to renewed calls for permanent protection of the land where he and his people had dwelled.[21]
See also
- Shanawdithit and Demasduit, the last members of the Beothuk people of Newfoundland and Labrador
- Ishi, the last known member of the Yahi people of California
- Patuxet people of Massachusetts
Notes
References
- ^ British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Archivedfrom the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d Valente, Rubens (27 August 2022). "Símbolo da resistência dos indígenas isolados no país, "índio do buraco" é achado morto" [Symbol of the resistance of isolated indigenous people in the country, "Indian of the Hole", is found dead] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Agência Pública. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- Fundação Nacional do Índio. 27 August 2022. Archivedfrom the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ^ "Excelentíssimo(a) Senhor(a) Doutor(a) Juiz(íza) Federal da Vara Federal da Subseção Judiciária de Vilhena/RO" (PDF). mpf.mp.br (in Portuguese). p. 4. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ "Dicionário da língua Kwazá" (PDF). etnolinguistica.wdfiles.com (in Portuguese). 2013. p. 147. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Scott, Wallace (31 August 2018). "Why Revealing Uncontacted Tribes May Help Save Them". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 1 September 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ Downie, Andrew (28 August 2022). "Amazon activists mourn death of 'man of the hole', last of his tribe". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- Cable News Network (CNN). Archivedfrom the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Reel, Monte (20 August 2010). "The Most Isolated Man on the Planet". Slate. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d Watson, Fiona (2005). "The Last of His Tribe". Survival International. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ "Terra Indígena Tanaru". Terras Indígenas no Brasil (in Portuguese). Instituto Socioambiental. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
- ^ a b "Man in the Hole: lone survivor of Amazon tribe hunted by Brazilian ranchers". The Telegraph. 11 December 2009. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ Carroll, Rory (9 December 2009). "Amazon's 'man of the hole' attacked by unknown gunmen". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ "'Man in the Hole', lone survivor of Amazon tribe massacre, escapes ranchers' bullets". Amazon Rainforest News. 11 December 2009. Archived from the original on 18 March 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ "Amazon's 'man of the hole' attacked by unknown gunmen". Indian Country Today. 10 December 2009. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ Downie, Andrew (28 September 2022). "Amazon activists mourn death of 'man of the hole', last of his tribe". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
- ^ Phillips, Dom (19 July 2018). "Footage of sole survivor of Amazon tribe emerges". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
- ^ Baker, Vicky (20 July 2018). "Last survivor: The story of the 'world's loneliest man'". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- ^ Brown, Sarah (9 November 2022). "Delayed Indigenous 'Man of the Hole' burial reveals dispute over his land". Mongabay. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
- ^ Zuker, Fabio (22 November 2023). "The coveted legacy of the 'Man of the Hole' and his cultivated Amazon forest". Mongabay. Retrieved 14 June 2024.