On a previous episode, we talked about the Sentinelese, a tribe located in the Bay of
Bengal that has been isolated from the rest of the world for 60,000 years.
They do not like outsiders and to try to visit is a suicide mission.
We’d suggest leaving them alone if you don’t want to wind up stricken by a bunch of their
arrows.
After learning about the Sentinelese, you may be wondering about other unique, untouched
tribes.
Tribes that decide to remain isolated from society exist all over the world.
Here, we’ll list a few that we found to be the most fascinating.
According to Survival International, there is estimated to be a total of about 100 uncontacted
tribes around the world.
Sources for this number come from aircraft observations of isolated regions and accounts
from locals living nearby these areas.
Despite being uncontacted, sources tell us that they know more about the outside world
than many would think.
A number of them have witnessed our planes and modern technologies hover over them.
As experts of the forests, they are aware of our presence but have little interest and
choose not to integrate with our societies.
Instead, they prefer to stick to their own cultures and customs.
Brazil is home to the world’s largest population of uncontacted people with around 80 tribes
that are known to inhabit the Amazon rainforest.
One tribe in particular consists of only one member.
You heard that correctly.
One!
Deep within the rainforest, exists a man who lives entirely on his own.
His name is unknown, so officials refer to him simply as the “man of the hole.”
He is believed to be the last remaining member of his tribe, a one-member village.
No one knows what tribe he belongs to and no one can understand him.
He speaks a language that has practically gone extinct.
It is believed that his tribe was wiped out by cattle ranchers who occupy the region of
Tanaru in Rondonia state some time during the 1980’s or 1990’s.
The timeline isn’t certain.
His nickname “man of the hole” stems from his habit of digging holes over six feet deep.
He does this to survive.
He digs holes to catch animals for food as well as to hide from threats.
He adamantly rejects any type of contact and is often fearful of others.
You can’t blame him when considering that he survived being targeted by gunmen in late
2009.
That and, after losing the other members of his tribe, anyone in his position would be
mistrustful of others too.
Where he inhabits, there is a tiny maloca or house that seems abandoned.
It is built of straw and thatch.
If you decide you want to see it for yourself though, we’d advise you to beware.
If you step too close to this house, the lone “man of the hole” will fire an arrow towards
you in warning.
If you find yourself in this situation, it is probably best to take the hint and leave.
In the house, it is said that he stores his supplies; carved arrow heads, calabashes for
storing water, dried nuts and a torch he made from resin.
He also has a garden that is rich with produce.
He grows paw paw, manioc and corn.
He made himself a clearing, a path made from trees, to get to the garden under the cover
of night in order to harvest the fruits when they are ripe.
It is thought that it took him days to create this clearing, as he would have had to painstakingly
chop down the trees single handedly.
For this reason, he wins our vote for the ultimate loner.
In case you are wondering, the observations that were made of his living situation were
not made by curious voyeuristic interlopers but, rather, by those who wanted to find out
whether the man was still alive and to protect him from invaders.
Unfortunately, this is because there are plenty of ranchers in the area that have their eye
on his land and are eagerly waiting for him to be “bumped off,” so to speak.
Thus, the man has long lived in constant fear, fighting to survive as the last remaining
member of his tribe.
BBC describes him as the “world’s loneliest man” and the New York Post characterizes
his life as being “the stuff of nightmares.”
We suppose your life would indeed be nightmarish if you had witnessed your family brutally
murdered.
Being the last survivor has to be a terrifying ordeal.
But, since we can’t communicate with him, we may never know what his thoughts are on
this.
We can only assume that he must be tough as nails to have continued his fight for survival
this long.
Some anthropologists believe his age to be somewhere between 55 and 60 years old.
It is believed that he’s been living alone for well over 20 years.
The devastating reality of the situation is that once he passes on, his culture and language
will perish with him.
For anyone shedding a tear over this story, there is a bright side.
The man’s territory has been enlarged by about 11 miles in order to give him more space
and more animals to hunt.
This was issued by authorities in the hope that the man will be able to live out the
remainder of his life in peace.
The land is now being protected as a reserve that was established in 2015.
Sometimes tools and seeds are left out for him to use.
There are many good people who desire to help him while maintaining a respectful distance.
The man had made it clear on multiple occasions that he is not interested in making contact
or connecting with anyone.
This was made all the more evident when he shot and wounded an official with one of his
arrows back in 2005.
The plan to protect him though has been successful since its implementation and, to this day,
the “man of the hole” continues to be alive and thriving.
He is arguably the world’s biggest misanthrope and, yet, we just can’t help but root for
him.
The one-man tribe is a fascinating one and a tough one to beat.
Still, there is another interesting story about a first-contact situation with a tribe
that may or may not be a hoax.
We’ll get to that in a moment but first, we feel the need to list some honorable mentions.
In Brazil’s western Amazon Basin exists another tribe who are known to be highly aggressive.
Explorers used to refer to them as the “clubbers” due to their preferred choice of weaponry,
the club.
They are called the Korubo and, along with the club, they are trigger-happy and like
to fire poisoned darts at any intruders who dare venture too close to their territory.
The Korubo weren’t discovered by the government until 1972 and, since then, 7 people were
killed while trying to make contact.
The Korubo are one of the uncontacted tribes in the Amazon who kill outsiders and they
will even try to attack aircrafts with arrows.
Their message is clear.
Like the Sentinelese, they desire no connection with us, and it is best that they be left
alone to live their lives peacefully.
The Mashco-piro is one of the most isolated tribes that live along the Manu River in Peru.
As you may or may not know, many tribes have been wiped out from disease upon contact in
the past.
The Mashco-piro tribe is no different in this respect.
They are so remote and detached that even exposure to the common cold could devastate
them.
Not much is known about this tribe because research expeditions often ended in failure
when guides were shot by poison arrows.
Message received.
Outside of South America, there exists a tribe that was discovered during the Vietnam war.
They are known as the Ruc people of Vietnam, forest dwellers.
They are very shy and extremely difficult to see.
This is because they have impressive agility when maneuvering between trees.
This tribe is unique because they are thought to possess certain mystical qualities.
Their culture emphasizes the use of witchcraft and it is said that their spells can control
the “beasts of the jungle.”
In one mysterious case, a researcher disobeyed and angered a Ruc elder and it was reported
that he began foaming at the mouth with blood.
No one really understands why, or the logic behind it, and whether or not this really
happened.
It remains a mystery.
But given that the researcher met his demise, we wouldn’t recommend going to try to see
for yourself.
Not unless you have a suicide wish.
Now, we’ll discuss a story and then let you decide for yourself whether or not you
believe it to be true.
There’s a video that went viral, touching the hearts of many.
The video provided footage of a French filmmaker named Jean-Pierre Dutilleux making contact
with a hunter-gatherer tribe known as the Toulambi in Papua New Guinea.
The video documentary is 15-minutes long and is believed to be shot in 1976 though critics
claim it was actually produced in 1993 and made to look older.
If you take the time to watch it, it seems authentic.
The tribe members approach Pierre cautiously and touch his arm seemingly in disbelief of
the presence of a white man.
In their culture, it is said that the Toulambi perceive white men as members of the walking
dead.
Throughout the film, you see the tribe members become increasingly more comfortable with
Pierre to the point where they invite him to their home.
There, they exchange gifts.
Pierre shows them objects such as a match, a mirror, a tape recorder, and provides them
with medicine.
He also tries to learn their language in order to learn how to communicate with them.
At the end of the film, they peacefully part ways, having had an experience of a lifetime.
Our research staff here with the infographics show took the time to watch and study the
video, which really did seem legitimate.
You would never guess that it is potentially a hoax.
The video evokes strong emotion in its viewers.
Question is, is it real or fake?
Are the tribe members actors?
This controversial film has provoked an ongoing scholarly debate with skeptics believing it
is indeed fabricated.
Pierre argues that if the video is fake then the tribe members are very talented actors
who would definitely deserve an Oscar.
There are many who debate whether or not indigenous tribes should be contacted with many asserting
that they should be left alone and others stating that they don’t realize what they’re
missing and that it is unfair to let them continue living primitive lifestyles without
knowledge of our scientific advancements, comforts and conveniences.
In the past, contact with indigenous tribes often did not go well with intruding newcomers
spreading disease that wiped out tribal populations, sometimes to the brink of extinction.
Isolated tribal communities do not typically have immunity to our diseases, and they do
not assimilate well with our cultures.
Some argue that we can just give them medicines to help their bodies fight off the alien pathogens.
But then there’s the issue of the cost of cultural assimilation.
That is, acclimating into our culture may implicate a loss of their own.
Though both sides have a good point, it may be best to let them be.
This is because, ethically speaking, making contact may be more harmful than beneficial
for tribal peoples overall.
Introducing them into our world could very well turn a proud, independent culture into
one that is impoverished in our society.
What do you think?
Do you believe tribes should be contacted or should they just be left alone?
Also, if you watched the film we discussed, did you believe it to be authentic?
Or do you think it is a fake?
Let us know in the comments!
Also, be sure to check out our other video How Did A Whole Village Disappear - The Lost
Colony of Roanoke Mystery!
Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe.
See you next time!