Death of the world’s loneliest man spells the end of an entire people

Blurry, distant footage shows a thin, naked man hacking at a tree with an ax. The video, released in 2018 by Funai, Brazil’s indigenous foundation, consisted of the first record of the “Man of the Hole,” an indigenous man who lived in absolute isolation for almost three decades and was the last representative of his people.

He was found dead a week ago, without anyone ever being able to discover his name, his language, or his story. Even so, he has become a symbol of the resistance of uncontacted indigenous peoples across Brazil.

The man’s body showed no signs of struggle or disturbances in the nearby vegetation, indicating that he may well have died of natural causes. His body was adorned with macaw feathers, as if he had prepared himself for death, according to the Funai team that found him.

The “Man of the Hole” got that nickname because of his habit of digging holes wherever he lived. The press had also called him the “loneliest man in the world” after likely living through two attempts to exterminate his people and refusing contact with others ever since.

Piecing together his story

Indigenous experts say it is impossible to know exactly what happened to his community, but reports indicate they may have...