Post Magazine: And Then There Was One

Deep in the Amazon, the lone survivor of an unknown Indian tribe keepshuman contact at bay as conservationists work to save his land and his wayof life.

Post South America correspondent Monte Reel, who's based in Buenos Aires, fields questions and comments about his story of this Amazonian survivor in this week's issue of Washington Post Magazine.

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Monte Reel: Hi everyone, greetings from Buenos Aires, where it's a very hot and sunny summer day. Thanks for joining in the chat. There are already some questions coming in, so I'll just dive in...

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McLean, VA: Is this lone tribal survivor related to other remote indiginous tribes of the Amazon such as the Yonomami or others?

Monte Reel: A great question -- the difficulty of linking him with any of the other tribes in the region is one of the lingering mysteries surrounding his existence.

The area where he lives in southern Rondonia was, according to many anthropologists and linguists, something of a way station in previous centuries for tribes that moved between the Andes and the Amazon. As in much of the Amazon basin, civilizations flourished there. The dense forest in this particular region was an unusually easy place for individual groups to break off and form isolated communities capable of remaining undisturbed by enemies. Linguists studying the area have found that many of the small groups that established themselves there - though they might live just a few miles apart - had very little in common with their neighbors. Many speak languages that are completely distinct.

During their encounters with the lone Indian, the team discovered that he didn't seem to understand the languages of the two small tribes that lived nearest to him (the Kanoe and the Akuntsu). He also differs from them physically. The Kanoe, for example, traditionally wore hats and garments, though he does not. And unlike the Akuntsu, he doesn't use body paint. The fluted arrows that he carves are similar in shape to some of the other regional tribes, with very slight differences.

The most intriguing and obvious difference between and other tribes of the region, however, is the deep pit he invariably digs inside his tiny hut. No other tribes in the region do this. Anthropologists and researchers have offered several possible explanations (storage, self-protection, cooling), but indirect observation of his lifestyle suggests that the holes have no practical purpose. This has led Funai to believe that the holes serve a spiritual purpose. But again, this specific practice hasn't been observed among other neighboring tribes.

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New Brunswick, NJ : Moving article. Where, if possible, can one donate to further the effort of protecting these lands and people (or person, in this case).

Monte Reel: Thanks very much. While there is no specific place I can recommend where you could donate for this specific case, some organizations -- such as Survival International, based in London -- deal with the general issue of uncontacted/isolated tribes.

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Takoma Park, MD: I was saddened and angered to see this poor man hounded like an animal by a camera crew and reporters. The best in us seeks to help this man - but he does not need to be on display to the world. Protect his land, yes, but leave him in peace. My heart cries out to him.

Monte Reel: Thanks for the comment, which I think gets to an extremely important ethical issue (one of several) that confronts everyone who works in the field of isolated tribes: How can you protect someone if you can't prove he exists?

A lot of people in Brazil and other countries regularly and vehemently make arguments against the very existence of isolated tribes, describing them as mythical figments of the imagination that are used by scientists and environmentalists to protect land from development. When the Funai contact team began investigating this case, they first tried to encourage others to protect the land by offering circumstantial evidence of his existence (photos of his huts, etc.), and that evidence was rejected outright by many with an interest in the developing the land. As was mentioned in the article, some people with interest in economic development projects - including some public officials - still to this day accuse the sertanistas of "importing" or "planting" isolated Indians in the area. In the face of that resistance, the team members grew convinced that they had to prove the Indian's existence, which meant they had to pursue him.

As time went on, they realized that the Indian had no interest in accepting contact, and they have abandoned their pursuit. But they believed they first needed to establish proof of his existence to create a refuge for him. They no longer attempt to make contact with him, and don't allow others to try. I know of no media outlets that have attempted to make contact with the Indian, and believe it would be a spectacularly misguided idea to try (it would be legally prohibited, by the way). The video posted on the website was taken by one of the members of the contact team, Vincent Carelli, in 1998, and the men shown in the video are Altair Algayer and Marcelo dos Santos.

Today, Funai maintains a very small camp at the perimeter of his protected area, so that the Indian - if he has some sort of emergency, for example - could initiate contact. But he has to be the one that initiates contact; the team won't do it. They do not even enter his territory as a rule.

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Arlington, VA: Hi. I really enjoyed reading this story - made me glad I bought the paper yesterday. Pardon my density, but I'm not sure I understood why the man sleeps over his spike-laden holes.

Also, any comment on nonprofits that are doing a good job try to protect this land?

Monte Reel: Thanks very much for that. To clarify, the man doesn't sleep over the holes with the spikes at the bottom -- those are traps that he constructs outside of his hut. The hole that he sleeps over doesn't have spikes at the bottom.

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New York, N.Y.: Hzve there been any updates on this lone tribesman since the article? Is there anyone keeping updated information on sightings and his observed activities?

Monte Reel: There haven't been any sightings or observed activities since the article was written -- Funai is trying to leave him alone. According to their current way of thinking, they plan to leave him alone unless they believe him to be in specific danger. The most recent expedition to find evidence of his continued survival was last year, a trip needed to establish the order prohibiting development there.

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Washington, DC: I still don't understand why the Lunai people were trying to contact this lone man. Why not just leave him alone?

Monte Reel: Thanks for the question. The original decision to try to contact him was made because they believed that his survival was in danger due to a potential conflict with ranchers or loggers, who were at work in the area. That idea fueled the team's attempts to contact him until they realized that he did not show interest in making contact. When it sunk in that the attempts to contact him were not fruitful -- and when they were able to stop development on the land -- the attempts to make contact stopped.

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Arlington, VA: Hi Monte,

Great article - were you able to have a look at this lone survivor? Can they prove that those ranchers killed off his tribe? About how old do you think he is? It was a really fascinating article - the curious side of me would love to know what his world is like - Wow - please keep up posted on the developments.

Monte Reel: Thanks for questions. I did not have a look at him, other than on the videos made by Vincent Carelli. I did go out with Funai officials to the area to speak with tribes that had already made contact and to visit Funai's camp nearby. They have never been able to definitively pin the cause of a previous tribe's death to any one specific incident, despite the theories that have been aired by Funai. As for his age, they estimate that he's in his mid-40s. This is based purely on the eyewitness reports from the Funai team and the video.

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Reston Va: I think that we as "advanced" civilizations intrude too much in these situations.

We should learn from the example of this lone survivor, he wants to be left alone.

Would the Ivory Billed Woodpecker say the same thing if it could talk or defend itself, no bows for the bird.

We don't always know what's best, we are arrogant.

Monte Reel: Thanks for the comment -- I think most of the Funai team members would agree with you.

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Washington, DC: I have a problem with the way Ladinos, unless they are directly helping Indians, are portrayed in American and European media. Like it or not, we have been here for hundreds of years and have contributed to our respective cultures. Nevertheless, I enjoyed your article inmensely. What will happen to the set-aside land once the lone Indian passes?

Monte Reel: Thanks for the comment, and to answer the question, what happens to the land after the Indian dies is something that would have to be decided at that time. Funai had to prove that he was alive -- which they established during the most recent expedition in 2007 -- in order to get the land declared off-limits.

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Washington DC metro area: The report by Marcello sums it all up:

"He does not at this moment desire to have a

dialogue...etc.. It is his right" (Post Magazine p.29).

Question:

in the video the man appears to have a mustache and a

beard. What tribes of Indians have facial hair? Also, one

wonders: how does a person living with the lack of tools

in such a state of isolation keep his mustache (and hair)

so well trimmed? and why would he even do it?

Monte Reel: Good one -- I asked around about that exact question. There are some Indians in the area that do have light facial hair. Pura Kanoe, for example, actually plucks his facial hair out to keep groomed, as do male members of the Akuntsu tribe.

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Morristown NJ: Fascinating article! Are there any estimates of how many uncontacted tribes there are? Though it might seem it'd be impossible to know, as they are uncontacted, there could be reports of them or evidence of their existence like the huts found for this particular man.

Monte Reel: As you mention, by definition uncontacted/isolated tribes are hard to keep track of. I believe that Survival International estimates there are about 100 uncontacted tribes worldwide, and Brazil is believed to have more than any other country. Brazil's government last year increased their own estimate to about 65 or 70 isolated tribes, many of them very small. But this is just an estimate.

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Arlington, VA: Monte,

Is the video accessible to the public and if so, how can I obtain a copy? Is there a link on a website?

Monte Reel: Vincent Carelli, who shot the video, made a documentary about violence and isolated tribes and used part of the video in that. I believe that the documentary was made through an organization in Brazil that tries to promote indigenous cultures through the use of video. I'll try to get you a link to that organization's website now...

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washingtonpost.com: Video in the Villages

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Washington, DC: I read this story with interest. Like others, I feel that of course indigenous peoples and their cultures should be protected but at the same time, I am someone who works in developing countries and knows the desperation of the majority of people who live there. How many people could have land, food, jobs, etc. if this area of forest was developed? When do the rights of many trump the rights of one?

While I think many think only of the developers when talking about development there are often many people who get jobs and therefore able to support their families after development.

It's a very difficult ethical problem and I am glad that I don't have to try to find the balance.

Monte Reel: It's a very good point, and one that has been debated -- and still is debated -- in Brazil and throughout the region. Another example where that same debate is in full swing is in Peru, where the reported presence of isolated tribes just in the past year has been used to argue against oil exploration projects. It's very, very controversial.

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Rosslyn, VA: This story reminds me of the story of Ishi, the last known Native American (Yahi people)to live in the wild, who unexpectedly emerged in California in 1911. Are you familiar with that case, and do you see any parallels to this one?

Monte Reel: I'm not familiar with that case, but you've piqued my interest -- thanks for posting.

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Washington, DC: Can we stop using the word Indian please. Columbus made that mistake over 500 years ago but we know better know. The lone man and surrounding groups are indigenous to the area.

Monte Reel: Thanks for the comment.

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Alexandria, VA: How does current public opinion in Brazil regard the protection of land from development? I got the sense from the article that the mood swings with media coverage, the unemployment rate, and probably myriad other factors.

Monte Reel: You're right -- there are a lot of factors at play, and it's hard to come up with a generalization. Brazil is a huge and incredibly diverse country -- there are a lot of people on all sides of that fence.

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Morristown NJ: Any speculation about the purpose of the pit dug in the huts? Could it be safety related from predators, snakes or crawling insects? If thought to be spiritual, what might that purpose be?

Monte Reel: There's been a lot of speculation, but that's all it is, really. He doesn't appear to use it for storage. It's too narrow to even kneel inside of. He makes a hammock-like bed that is stretched over it, so there was some thought that the hole might regulate temperature. But the Funai team now believes it's a spiritual thing, more ritualistic than practical.

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Fairfax,VA: What have you learned the most about exploring this man's life? Do you feel that he can provide insight into what man means to exist without a people and a non-existent culture? Do you think this man lives with a burden of knowing he is the last man standing or do you think he is purely in the mode of survival?

Monte Reel: Well, the story of this man's life raises an awful lot of questions, more than I can answer, for sure. One of the most interesting things about reporting it was meeting with Pura Kanoe, who is part of a tribe that now numbers only three people. I think that in Pura's case, there's definitely some sadness and loneliness in knowing that his culture isn't likely to survive much longer. That said, the sheer amount of time/effort/work that goes into survival is enormous -- just carving out an arrow takes hours, for example. Surviving alone is an enormous achievement. Like everyone else, I can only imagine how incredibly difficult it must be.

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Monte Reel: Well, the hour is up. Apologies to those people whose questions I didn't get to, and thanks to everyone else for writing and for your interest in the article. If you have other questions, you can feel free to email me at reelm@washpost.com and I'll try my best to answer them in the not-too-distant future. Thanks, -- Monte Reel

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