The last Indian of the massacred people lived isolated for 23 years; see the video

He has neither name nor family nor companion. He spent the last 23 years in complete isolation after his group was decimated in land conflicts in a remote area of ​​the southern state of Rondônia. Known as "Hole Indian" – digging holes about three meters deep in the huts where he lives – he is the last inhabitant of the Tanaru Indigenous Land, an 80-km² restricted-use forest area set between five ranches. and mechanized agriculture. Arredio and traumatized, he escapes to perceive the presence of the agents who do the monitoring. Altair Algayer, coordinator of the Guaporé Ethno-Environmental Protection Front (FPE Guaporé), said the project had been filmed and that the video had just been broadcast by Funai (National Indian Foundation).

as early reports of the presence of an isolated indigenous group in the region arose in the 1970s. Due to conflicts with grileiros, loggers and farmers, these people were constantly forced to move and their limbs were dying. After an attack in 1995, the group that was already small – according to reports, consisting of only six members – was reduced to one person, "the Indian's hole".

The following year, FUNAI finally managed to confirm the presence of Indians in the area after finding traces of encampments, but the Indian's hole was seen That was in 1997. The confirmation allowed the creation of the Indigenous Land in 1998, which aims to protect the Indians, but it infuriates the farmers who are prohibited in the demarcated areas. Even with the presence of Funai, the Indian's hole has been attacked: the area will only be protected as long as it will exist. ] – Where the Indian is, the land is his. This is guaranteed by the Constitution – explains Fany Ricardo, an expert of indigenous peoples isolated at the Socio-Environmental Institute. "But if the Indian dies, the use of the land is released."

Every two months, a FPE Guaporé team conducts follow-up operations to assess the situation of the indigenous populations. To help him survive, they leave seeds and tools wherever he goes.

– He is a survivor. It is natural for him to have the hunt, to make small crops, so the sustenance is not the problem. What strikes me is the mental part, how he manages to work his head to spend all that time alone – says Algayer. "Certainly, he participated in rituals, parties, carrying paintings on the body, pottery production.All of this was lost and overcoming this loss had to be very difficult."

Since 1987, the FUNAI conducts a policy of non-contact with the public, with isolated indigenous peoples, but to ensure the protection of the territories they occupy.As the "Indian of the Hole" was alone, attempts were made to approach him, but he always made it clear that he did not want to be contacted.The anthropologist and filmmaker Vincent Carelli participated in the discovery of the first vestiges and observations

– Each Once we found the cabin where he was, he moved, he recalls. "At one point, he hid in a hunting lodge, and we managed to surround him . He stayed inside for six hours, making no noise. We do not even know it's stupid.

The last contact attempt took place in 2005 and ended with a Funai employee injured by an arrow in the neck. The first reaction of the Indian is to flee, but when he feels threatened, he can attack. However, there is no report that he has threatened or attacked residents of neighboring communities.

The control is carried out by incursions into the territory. "With a hammock and a backpack and hiking days," says Algayer. To date, 48 huts have been identified by Indians as dwellings, as well as hunting fields and small varieties of cassava, maize and others. In each house there is a hole about one meter long by one meter wide and three deep. It is possible that the cave is used to store water or serve as a hiding place.

The sertanists who study the Indian know little about their past and their culture. According to Algayer, there are few recordings in pictures, since he always notices the presence of agents and runs away without being seen. During these two decades of monitoring, there is no single audio recording for language identification, and bows and arrows are similar to those of all other peoples of the world. the region. The video released this week, recorded in 2011, was the only opportunity for Funai employees to get closer without being noticed.

In the pictures, it is possible to see a man, strong and healthy, use an ax to cut down a tree. Algayer estimates that he is around 55 years old. It was the sound of the axes that allowed the sertanistas to identify exactly where the Indian was, so that they approached without being seen. The shaking images, which lasted a little more than a minute, were echoing around the world. According to Fiona Watson, director of the NGO Survival International, the broadcast of the video at that time has political implications.

With the strength of the ruralist group, the Congress is attempting to pass laws that make it difficult to preserve indigenous territories. which transfers from the executive to the legislature the jurisdiction to approve land demarcations, and PLP 227/12, which paves the way for the commercial exploitation of wealth in indigenous lands.

– This video is not just a curiosity. It serves to draw the attention of society to the fact that this man only exists because of the sertanistas who work there. Without FUNAI, he would already be dead like the other members of his group, "says Fiona. – Politicians from Mato Grosso and Rondônia deny the existence of isolated Indians. They accuse Funai of having invented them to protect lands that could be used for exploitation. They exist, and the video proves it.

The expert points out that Brazil is the country with the largest number of isolated indigenous peoples. According to Funai data, there are 28 confirmed groups and 86 under evaluation, 26 in the study and the other 60 with only indications. And the tragedy of the "Indian Hole" is not limited to Tanaru. In the native land of Pirikpura, in Mato Grosso, only two men remain.

– Our "progress" has reduced the forests and the indigenous peoples have dwindled with them – regrets Algayer. – The hole Indian is not in this situation because he wants it. It is up to us to ensure that he has the freedom to live well and live in peace in the forest.