Living primarily by hunting and gathering and moving frequently, he left behind a deep hole of unknown purpose in each of his former homes, giving rise to his nickname.

[1] The Fundação Nacional do Índio (FUNAI), Brazil's government agency for Indigenous interests, later discovered the remains of their village, which had been bulldozed in 1996.

It was originally believed that these holes were used to trap animals or to hide in,[11][13][10] but some observers have also speculated that they might have been of spiritual significance.

In 2018, FUNAI released a video of him in order to raise global awareness of the threats to the uncontacted peoples in Brazil.

[16][17] On 24 August 2022, the Man of the Hole was found dead in his last home by FUNAI agent Altair José Algayer.

[2] The man's burial, originally scheduled for 14 October, finally took place on 4 November after a court order to FUNAI to release his body.

His burial place was desecrated by farmers shortly after, leading to renewed calls for permanent protection of the land where he and his people had dwelled.