The Naked Truth/Jamala Rogers
Last Man Remained Anonymous Until Death—By Choice
The sole survivor of an indigenous Amazon tribe recently died. The news brought me profound sadness. His death symbolized the slow death of the Amazon rainforest. His death highlights the greed and disregard for human life as indigenous peoples struggle for survival in their own homeland.
The man has been given unflattering names, like “Man in the Hole.” I decided to name him Msitu in the only non-English language I’m familiar with. Msitu means forest in Swahili. He was a man of the forest who lived in harmony with nature.
Msitu was part of an “uncontacted” tribe, meaning he chose to avoid contact with the outside world. His tribe was massacred over time by company thugs to make room for logging, ranching and mining. Though outside media often dubbed him lonely, it is clear that he had no use for the company of outsiders. Msitu made a conscious decision to live a life of solitude away from the hostile outside world.
The Amazon rainforest covers nine countries in South America. The vast majority of the rainforest covers Brazil. That means Brazil has a special obligation to show the other eight countries how to protect and nurture an ecosystem central to the well-being of the entire planet. The Brazilian government is failing miserably in that responsibility.
FUNAI is Brazil’s indigenous protection agency which is supposed to monitor the tribes and protect their lands from development. FUNAI has identified at least 114 such tribes but only 28 have been documented. This means those not on FUNAI’s list are not eligible for government protection ― for what that’s worth. In reality, no tribe seems to be protected
FUNAI was created in 1967, after its predecessor agency became so corrupt, the Indians refused to interact with it. Entire tribes were annihilated due to exposure to diseases and pesticides introduced by the Indian Protection Service. While FUNAI isn’t linked to these kinds of genocidal acts perpetrated by IPS, it certainly has not been a steward of the precious lands or its peoples.
Over the last forty years, the government has sanctioned highways through parts of the Amazon. It has opened the forest doors to mining companies to exploit the country’s natural resources such as silver, gold and diamonds. Oil extraction has decimated the habitat with pipelines and roads while creating pollution. Since 2019, thousands of wildfires caused by irresponsible logging techniques have destroyed human, animal and plant lives. Companies are being given access to the half a billion trees in the Amazon for the lucrative timber industry.
Indigenous people have fought for generations to protect their land and save their way of life. They have used the local courts as well as taken their plight to international arenas. This has put them in direct confrontation with the various heads of states who are constantly disregarding or changing governmental decrees. These officials are getting their palms greased at the expense of their own people’s existence.
Msitu apparently knew death was imminent. He was found covered with feathers in his hand-made hammock. His physical life journey over, he appeared to be at peace.
There is no peace for the remaining indigenous tribes fighting for survival, having to bear witness to the corporate vultures slowly swallowing their lands, and the people who inhabit them. They must wage a merciless battle against the invaders or face genocide.
