RIO DE JANEIRO — When officials from Brazil’s Indigenous protection agency approached the hut in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, their fears were confirmed: They were witnessing the first recorded disappearance of an uncontacted tribe in the country’s history. 

The man lying in the hammock, the last member of his tribe, had died, and with him an entire culture and answers to a thousand questions. 

Even his name was a mystery. He was known only as “the Man of the Hole” because of the dozens of holes he had dug over the years in his territory. His age, too, could only be guessed at. He appeared to be about 60, officials said. 

It was a sad milestone for a country that in recent years has seen protections for Indigenous groups weakened and undermined by an administration that has prioritized development of the Amazon over conservation. 

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