Described as ‘the loneliest man in the world’, he lived entirely alone for 26 years, deep in the Brazilian Amazon, and had resisted every attempt by government teams to make contact with him.

His family, his friends, all the other members of his tribe – had been killed in a series of attacks that would have gone unnoticed by the rest of the world had he not managed, somehow, to survive.

His name remains unknown to us still to this day but a body was found this month outside a straw hut deep in the forest.

He had managed to survive despite the atrocities and murders of his family. Wealthy cattle ranchers had hired gunmen to hunt down and kill Indigenous people. The crime scene was found – the huts, deep in the forest, had been bulldozed in an attempt to cover it up. The gunmen thought they’d killed everyone but one man had somehow survived. He would dig holes to hide in.

This extraordinary and traumatised individual lived in the Tanaru territory of Brazil. Survival International reports that “There are more than 100 uncontacted tribes in Brazil alone, and many others around the world. Their lands – and their lives – are continually under threat. “

“Just last week it was revealed that a Brazilian company is trying to mine gold in the territory of the Piripkura, one of the most vulnerable uncontacted tribes in the world who have endured a series of genocidal attacks.”

The un-named ‘loneliest man in the world’ was thought to be between 55 and 65 years old when he died of natural causes. His death marks the genocide of his People.