The Man of the Hole

Imagine being unknown to society and living off the land..

A man dubbed "the Hole Indian" has been monitored by FUNAI - Survival International since 1996 for doing just this. He was given the moniker by anthropologists, because he digs out six feet deep holes to trap animals and to protect himself. He appears to be the sole survivor of his tribe, who were killed in the 1970s / 80s, after a road was built nearby; which caused a rise in demand for land for business purposes. This land is still sought after by farmers and loggers.

He lives in Rondonia; the area is approximately 4,000 hectares and is surrounded by private farms and deforested clearings. Under the Brazilian constitution, indigenous people have a right to land, therefore an order prevents anyone from entering the land and endangering him.

Very little is known about the man and according to Fiona Watson from Survival International: "In a way we don't need to know anything about him. But he is a symbol of what we are losing - this tremendous human diversity."