No one knows what his name was, what language he spoke, and what tribe he belonged to. All that is known about the 60-year-old man, who lived in complete isolation in the Amazon jungle, is that he was the last survivor of an indigenous community that had been exterminated by mercenaries working for big landowners since the 80s and 90s. in the state of Rondonia in western Brazil.

The first information about him appeared in 1996, when members of FUNAI (a Brazilian national organization dedicated to the protection of Indians) identified the ruins of his village, destroyed by bulldozers by unidentified persons.

His presence was also reported by members of other tribes in the area, but no one could provide any information that could help identify him. But he knew he was being followed and often left signs for FUNAI agents to avoid pits or animal traps he left behind.

Later, he was called “a man in a hole”, because he dug such shelters in which he hid. Any attempts by FUNAI agents to contact him were doomed to failure. It was obvious that the man did not stay in the same place and that he felt a special reluctance to any foreign presence.

After following his tracks, the Brazilian government declared an area of ​​about 8,000 hectares a protected area where he could be in relative safety. Later, the area was expanded by another 3,000 hectares. Brazilian law states that any area of ​​the Amazon jungle inhabited by Indian communities cannot be appropriated. The situation changes when such communities are not marked.

This is also the reason why several tribes in the state of Rondonia have been exterminated or forced to leave the area in the last 50 years. The individual was the victim of several armed attacks, especially after the declaration of a protected area, but managed to escape each time.

On August 24, he was found dead in a homemade hammock near a straw hut. There were no signs of violence, the death was probably natural. However, a verdict must be reached after an autopsy and an investigation by the federal police.

The Brazilian authorities are considering the possibility of preserving the protected area and even building a monument in memory of this last surviving representative of his tribe. There are currently at least 240 Indian communities scattered throughout the Amazon jungle, all of which are at risk of being attacked by landowners, miners or mercenaries.