Last representative of a Brazilian tribe dies - "Genocide complete"

In the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, the last survivor of an indigenous tribe has died after more than 25 years in complete isolation. Brazil's Indigenous Authority, Funai, said the "Indigenous Tanaru" -- also known as the "Indigenous of the Hole" -- was found dead in the Tanaru tribal area of ​​western Rondônia state. He was lying in his hammock in his hut.

Authorities said there was no sign of "violence or fighting." There was also no evidence of the presence of another person. "Everything points to a natural cause of death," the Funai explained. According to media reports, the body was covered in parrot feathers - which one expert says could indicate the tribal knew he was going to die.

According to the Funai, the man had lived alone in the rainforest for around 26 years and avoided all contact with the outside world. He was nicknamed "Indigenous of the Hole" because he always dug a deep hole in his huts. His real name was unknown.

The other members of his tribe were probably killed in the 1990s. The region near the border with Bolivia is one of the most violent in Brazil, according to the non-governmental organization Survival International. There are huge cattle ranches, illegal logging and illegal mining.

The region is considered the Wild West of Brazil, where land disputes are quickly resolved with weapons. "It symbolized both the appalling violence and cruelty done to tribal peoples in the name of colonization and economic gain, and their resistance," said Fiona Watson of Survival International.

"With his death, the genocide of this indigenous people is complete," Watson continued. "It was genocide indeed: the deliberate annihilation of an entire people by cattle ranchers hungry for land and wealth."

Around 800,000 indigenous people live in Brazil out of a total population of more than 212 million people. In the Amazon rainforest there are still a number of small indigenous groups who have no contact with the outside world. According to the Funai authority, such groups have been registered in 114 locations across the country; but the numbers vary.