For decades, the indigenous lived in isolation in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. Now the loneliest person in the world has died. The sadness is great.
Little is known about the indigenous man from the Amazon rainforest (Brazil). Nobody knows his real name. Sealed off from the outside world, the “Indigenous Tanaru” died. This was announced by the Brazilian authority responsible for indigenous people, Funai (Fundação Nacional do Índio).
The man was found dead on August 23, 2022 in the Tanaru tribal area in the western state of Rondônia. He was lying in his hammock in his hut, the Funai explained.
Amazon rainforest: “Índio Tanaru” had no contact with other people
Authorities said there was no sign of “violence or fighting.” The belongings, utensils and objects commonly used by the native people would have been in their ancestral place. There was no evidence of another person’s presence.
“Everything points to a natural cause of death,” the Funai explained. According to media reports, the body was covered in parrot feathers – which one expert says could indicate the tribal knew he was going to die. The man’s age is estimated at 60 years.
The one known as Índio Tanaru was also known as Índio do buraco (Índio of the hole) because he dug holes to trap animals or took shelter in the holes. According to the Funai, he had lived alone in the rainforest for around 26 years and avoided all contact with the outside world.
Amazon Rainforest: “Loneliest Man Alive” – Last survivor of his people
It is believed that other members of his tribe were killed in a series of attacks beginning in the 1970s – he was the only one to survive. The area along the Brazilian border near Bolivia is one of the most violent in Brazil, according to the non-governmental organization Survival International. There are huge cattle ranches, illegal logging and illegal mining.
“With his death, the genocide against this indigenous people is complete,” said Fiona Watson of the non-governmental organization Survival International. “It was truly genocide: the deliberate annihilation of an entire people at the hands of cattle ranchers hungry for land and wealth.”
In 2018, Funai employees released footage of the man from 2011 showing him felling a tree. The authorities watched the man for years.
Around 800,000 indigenous people live in Brazil out of a total population of more than 212 million people. In the Amazon rainforest there are still a number of small indigenous groups who have no contact with the outside world. According to the Funai authority, such groups have been registered in 114 locations across the country; but the numbers vary. (afp/ml)
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