Imagine this: living alone in the rainforest, you haven’t seen another human being in 20 years. Then, one day, out of the corner of your eye, you see a flash. That mysterious flash was another person, taking a photo of you. That happened to the loneliest man in the world, let's delve into his story.
The Man Of The Hole
To explain how this poor fellow got so lonely, we need to rewind a little. After all, he’s been surviving on his own in the Brazilian rainforest, hunting for food and digging strange holes for two decades. In fact, that’s almost all we know about him. We don’t even know his name. Instead, he’s referred to as either "The Last of his Tribe" or "The Man of the Hole".
But this man didn’t become solitary by choice. Devastatingly, everyone The Man of the Hole once knew is long-gone, and I’ll get to why shortly. Over time, photographers or government employees have tried to make contact with him, but he violently resisted them.
Most of what we know about this rainforest enigma comes from the groups monitoring him, like
FUNAI, the Brazilian governmental organization for protecting indigenous people, as well as Survival International. His neighbors, members of other, more populated tribes, reported on his activities occasionally, too. Yet none of them could speak the same language as The Man in the Hole. His language belonged to his tribe, and his tribe only, making him the only one on planet Earth who could speak it. But how did it get this way?
The region The Last of his Tribe occupies is called Rondonia, and was once heavily forested. But in the 18th century, roads and railways began being built in Brazil, and with that came overwhelming change to the Rondonian wilds. From the 1970s, farming and logging began to truly devastate Brazilian rainforests. By 1988, over 17% of the
state of Rondonia was deforested. Tribes in the area had, for millennia, wandered the jungle as nomads, building temporary villages, going wherever the foraging and hunting was good. But with less jungle to wander, their way of life was forcibly changed, and survival became harder than ever. Adding in violent attacks from farmers, loggers and bandits, and death from the new diseases they brought with them, you can begin to imagine the devastation that ensued.
With the increasing encroachment of violent industrial settlers, life in the rainforests went from tough to terrifying. It’s unknown how exactly The Man of the Hole’s tribe were wiped out, nor how many members there were at their height. All that’s known is that, as the 90s wore on, an already-dwindled tribe of 6 fell to one. But that was the 90s. How has The Last of his Tribe managed since? Thanks to an impressive set of skills, likely passed down through the generations in his tribe, he survived for decades. He’s constructed various shelters using palm leaves in an area of forest he’s cleared by hand and maintained for many years, which he likely called home.
He hunted and foraged in the surrounding ranges, toiling each day to get what he needed to survive from the natural world around him. He even cultivated palm trees for their hearts, which provide a solid source of nutrition alongside the other produce in his rudimentary garden. Paw-paw fruit and cassava were mainstays in his garden, alongside more well-known crops like corn.
Around his home, handcrafted torches have been found, which he doused with tree resin to burn. His home, alongside the hunting shelters scattered throughout his territory, shared one odd feature though: the holes he dug that gave him his nickname, Man of the Hole. They were wide enough to jump down, and over six foot deep. It’s been suggested that the holes were a way to trap animals, or are, perhaps, a remnant of his tribe’s spiritual traditions. Indeed, they could be a mournful tribute to his departed friends and family, perhaps even memorial graves, left empty after the tribesman was forced to leave his family’s bodies behind.
Whatever they’re for, though, it’s clear he didn't want help digging them. Indeed, in 2004, when a FUNAI employee got too close, The Last of his Tribe struck him in the leg with an arrow. The Man of the Hole being an expert huntsman, the non-lethal shot was likely meant as a warning, but it’s beyond doubt that he was serious about remaining alone. Is it so surprising? Outsiders have only ever brought pain, as far as he’s concerned. He would have no way of understanding the politics that rule his fate, or that the people he occasionally spied actually cared for him. Even if he was open to approach, he wouldn’t understand Portuguese or English. Certainly, he wouldn’t know what to do with a camera, or how to react if one was pointed at him! With such a culturally and geographically isolated existence, there’s little doubt that this man was among the loneliest in the world. There are dozens of other uncontacted peoples in the Amazon, but even if they are extremely isolated, most of them have, at least, each other for company.
But, despite his situation, The Last of his Tribe seemed to be living as best he could. In footage captured in summer 2018, the man, in his 50s, was seen very actively cutting down a tree with a homemade axe.
A few years ago, FUNAI expanded the officially-allocated territory of The Last of his Tribe by 3,000 hectares, allowing him to live a more nomadic lifestyle. It hasn’t convinced him to become more of a people-person, but it has allowed him a level of undisturbed freedom he probably hasn’t had since childhood. It’s the least that could be done for someone who’s suffered so badly at the hands of the modern world, and yet, somehow, continued to survive. That is, until 2022, when he died of natural causes at an estimated age of 60.
Christopher Knight: Surviving Alone In The Wilderness For 27 Years
Most of us would seriously struggle, perhaps even give up all together. Others, though, persevere. Now and then, people even prefer to live totally, utterly alone. Take Christopher Knight for example, an otherwise-normal American who decided, at the age of 20, to live alone in the woods. It was the 80s, the Cold War was looming heavy and the Chernobyl disaster had just occurred; humanity’s path seemed bleak.
But, while these might seem like reasonable motivations to leave civilization behind, Knight claims he had no real reason for his decision. He just drove into the deep woods of Maine, parked up, left his keys on the dashboard and wandered off to nowhere in particular.
He had basic camping gear and a little food, but nothing else. His venture into the woods lasted 27 years. Only once did he speak to another human during that time, on an occasion where a hiker passed by in the 90s. After a decade of silence at that point, his only word was "hi".
Knight kept himself alive by setting up shop in the woods near a lake, which was dotted with holiday log cabins. He became an expert thief, stealing food and essentials from the cabins and covering his tracks, until, eventually, he was caught in the act. He was arrested and forced back into society through a trial and jail time.
US hermit arrested for theft by euronews Not the nicest reintroduction to society, surely. These days, the once-hermit doesn’t talk much, but in a rare interview Christopher Knight claimed, “I was never lonely.” “If you like solitude,” he insisted, “you are never alone.”
Siberian Mowgli: 16 Years Living In The Wilderness
Another case of voluntary isolation came from Siberia. A family moved from the village of Belokurikha to a hut in the wilderness in 1997. They wanted to detach from society and raise their 4-year-old son with nothing but nature for company.
Cut to one day 16 years later, when the son awoke one morning to find his parents were nowhere to be seen. After his parents vanished, never to return, the young man grew afraid, believing he wouldn’t survive the Siberian winter alone. So, he journeyed to a nearby village for help. Despite his isolated life, the young Siberian appeared fit, healthy and well-educated. There probably aren’t many distractions from learning when you live in a hut in an icy forest.
Although the young man never really chose to be a part of his parents’ voluntary isolation, it’s the only life he can remember. For now, he’s back in the hut he calls home. Perhaps, for him, solitude brings comfort. Maybe it reminds him of his lost family. But, either way, the Siberian forest-dweller and Christopher Knight both had some level of choice over their situation. For the Man of the Hole, a lonesome existence was forced upon him.
Karapiru: Surviving In The Amazon
Karapiru was a member of a Brazilian tribe called the Awa, a peaceful people with a love for animals. In their prime, Karapiru’s Awa offshoot clan cared for monkeys and parakeets, even sharing their hammocks with the local wildlife.
But, just like the Man of the Hole, Karapiru narrowly escaped death when his friends and family, including his parents, wife, and children, were lost in a brutal event. The only other member of his family who survived was one of his sons who, badly injured, was captured when miners attacked them.
After 12 years in total seclusion, during which he walked 400 miles across forests and plains, Karapiru was discovered by a farmer. The farmer offered Karapiru a bed, a gesture which confused him, considering his previous experiences with strangers. But when the farmer shared food with him, Karapiru knew his intentions were good. The story of the strange, wild wanderer spread quickly, but there was a problem: almost nobody could understand Karapiru. Eventually, though, a young Awa man named Xiramuku was sent by FUNAI to listen to and translate Karapiru’s story. And here’s where it gets crazy. That Awa translator, upon seeing the lone wanderer, had an unbelievable realization. Karapiru was his long-lost father. Indeed, the translator was Karapiru’s injured child who’d been captured years and years ago. A child Karapiru had long assumed dead. It was a truly incredible coincidence. In 2013, Survival International reported that Karipuru was living happily in an Awa village with a new wife and children. He still worried for his family’s future; a combination of his past experiences and the very real threats faced by the Awa people as industry encroaches upon their land. Even though he had a positive integration, he was a victim of COVID-19 and died in 2021.
We hear a lot about loneliness these days. Even in bustling cities, more and more people are reporting feeling totally alone in life. Be it through willing isolation, or the disconnection things like social media can inadvertently make us feel, loneliness seems to be on the rise. But, ultimately, we still have plenty of opportunities to socialize with others, and a lot of meaning can be found in doing so. But for people like The Man of the Hole, there is no other option. His friends and family have been taken from him, and he was so traumatized by the past, those who care for his wellbeing can’t even reach out to him. But these are the real implications of the fact that 17% of the Amazon has been lost over the last 50 years through human activity. If this kind of destruction continues, who knows how many people we risk losing without even being aware of their existence? The best way to prevent these people and the stories of their amazing lives being lost forever is to support the organizations that seek to protect them. But on a more personal level, there’s one thing to keep in mind: if you feel lonely, talk to someone. It can really help. And remember, no matter how lonesome you feel, things probably won’t seem so bad if you keep the tragic tale of the Man of the Hole in mind. If you were amazed at the story of the loneliest person in the world, you might want to read about
North Sentinel, an island untouched for 60,000 years. Thanks for reading!
