The Man Who Lived in Solitary for over 25 Years after His Tribe Became Extinct

The man built dozens of straw and thatch huts over the years, including this oneJ Pessoa/Survival International

For over 25 years, deep in the Amazonian jungle’s Tanaru territory in Western Brazil, a man whom anthropologists have dubbed the “man of the hole” led a lonely life. The man belonged to a Brazilian native Indian tribe that had never made contact with the outside world but was nevertheless subjected to the cruelty of our modern world.

Researchers believe that because of threats posed by drug traffickers, illegal loggers, cattle ranchers, land speculators, and even gold miners, the tribe’s population dwindled till all that was left was a man who researchers believe was in his 60s.

However, because the man was the last man standing despite the death of everyone he knew or cared about, he dug large holes that at times were 6 feet deep. This is why anthropologists have named him “the man of the hole,” but despite the weird name, the man had good reason to dig his holes. He used them for trapping animals or protecting himself, although no explanation was given about how the holes protected him.

It’s believed that there are about 50 to 100 uncontacted tribes worldwide, with the majority living in complete isolation from the outside world. Although the exact numbers are unknown, most of these uncontacted tribes live as nomads in the vast Amazonian rainforest. Despite living under constant threat, governments, including the United Nations, promote that the tribes be left alone.

A portion of the man's face is visible in a still from the 2009 film Corumbiara by Vincent CarelliVincent Carelli/Corumbiara

According to Survival International, the borders of Peru, Brazil and Bolivia are home to most of the uncontacted tribes. However, one key distinction was that when the tribes’ lands were left intact, the tribes thrived. Still, when their habitat was threatened by the loggers, oil exploration, and drug traffickers, the tribes’ survival also became threatened.

Despite their nomadic and seemingly primitive way of life, researchers note that native uncontacted tribes are not backward or primitive relics but our very own contemporaries who are vital to our diversity as a human race. However, because of fear of being killed or enslaved, as has happened before, most of these tribes make it very clear that they want nothing to do with us.

All they want is to be left alone, but in certain cases, when they are not, they sometimes resort to defending themselves rather aggressively. The uncontacted tribes also employ ingenious tactics to keep outsiders at bay by leaving signs as a form of warning. According to Fiona Watson, a research director for the non-profit organization Survival International, Indigenous tribes know more about our modern world and its dangers than we know of theirs. Speaking on the issue, Ms. Watson said,

“They know far more about the outside world than most people think. They are experts at living in the forest and are well aware of the presence of outsiders.”

Although virtually nothing is known about the “man of the hole,” researchers believe that his tribe died from several combinations of threats. Rob Walker, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Missouri, explained his views regarding the tribe’s demise when he said,

“It’s almost certain that the rest of his tribe died from a combination of disease, full-on violence, and getting simply pushed out of where they used to live. Just bulldozing the habitat, basically. It’s pretty sad.”

If there ever was the hope of making contact with the “man of the hole” and learning about his language, beliefs, and way of life, all that died with him. Instead, for over 25 years, he spent his life living in solitary, dodging bullets and running for his life from the dangers of our modern world.

The only things left of him and perhaps of the memory of his tribe are the deep holes he dug, a few seconds of video recorded perchance, and his very humble dwelling. When the Brazilian authorities announced his death last weekend (late August 2022), the man of the hole was in his 60s and peacefully died of natural causes inside his hut while on his hammock.