Xingu peoples
Encyclopedia
Xingui peoples are indigenous peoples of Brazil living near the Xingu River
. They have many cultural similarities despite their different ethnologies. Xingu people represent fifteen tribes and all four of Brazil's indigenous language groups, but they share similar belief systems, rituals and ceremonies.
oral history says European slaver
s arrived in the Xingu region around 1750. Xinuguano population was estimated in the tens of thousands but was dramatically reduced by diseases and slavery by Europeans. In the centuries since the penetration of the Europeans into South America, the Xingu fled from different regions to escape modernization and cultural assimilation. Nonetheless settlers made it up as far as the upper run of the Rio Xingu. By the end of the 19th century, about 3,000 natives lived at the Alto Xingu, where their current political status has kept them protected against European intruders. By the mid twentieth century this number had been reduced by foreign epidemic diseases such as flu, measles, smallpox and malaria to less than 1,000. Only an estimated 500 Xingu peoples were alive in the 1950s.
Two Brazilians, Orlando Villas Bôas and his brother, claim that from 1946 to 1973, an administrative and commercial post contributed substantially to the fact that in the year 1961 at the Alto Xingu of the Parque Indígena do Xingu
, one furnished, in order to offer to the remaining ethnic minorities a shelter. This had contributed that the number of the Xingu here living in 32 settlements rose to today again over 3000 inhabitants, half of them younger than 15 years.
The Xingu living in this region have similar habits and social systems, despite different languages. Specifically, they consist of the following Indian peoples: the Aweti
, Kalapalo
, Kamaiurá, Kayapó, Kuikuro
, Matipu
, Mehinako
, Nahukuá
, Suyá
, Trumai
, Waura and Yawalapiti
.
Xingu River
The Xingu River , also called Rio Xingu, is a 1,230-mile long, river in north Brazil; it is a southeast tributary of the Amazon River.-Description and history:...
. They have many cultural similarities despite their different ethnologies. Xingu people represent fifteen tribes and all four of Brazil's indigenous language groups, but they share similar belief systems, rituals and ceremonies.
Precolumbian history
The Upper Xingu region was heavily populated prior to European and African contact. Densely populated settlements developed from 1200 to 1600 CE. Ancient roads and bridges linked communities were often surrounded by ditches or moats. The villages were pre-planned and featured circular plazas. Archeaologists have unearthed 19 villages so far.Post-contact history
KuikuroKuikuro
The Kuikuro are an indigenous ethnic group from the Mato Grosso region of Brazil. Their language, Kuikuro, is a part of the Karib language family. The Kuikuro have many similarities with other Xingu tribes...
oral history says European slaver
Slaver
Slaver has several meanings:*One who deals in slaves - see slave trade*A slave ship*Saliva, i.e. either the result or act of drooling as opposed to normal salivation....
s arrived in the Xingu region around 1750. Xinuguano population was estimated in the tens of thousands but was dramatically reduced by diseases and slavery by Europeans. In the centuries since the penetration of the Europeans into South America, the Xingu fled from different regions to escape modernization and cultural assimilation. Nonetheless settlers made it up as far as the upper run of the Rio Xingu. By the end of the 19th century, about 3,000 natives lived at the Alto Xingu, where their current political status has kept them protected against European intruders. By the mid twentieth century this number had been reduced by foreign epidemic diseases such as flu, measles, smallpox and malaria to less than 1,000. Only an estimated 500 Xingu peoples were alive in the 1950s.
Two Brazilians, Orlando Villas Bôas and his brother, claim that from 1946 to 1973, an administrative and commercial post contributed substantially to the fact that in the year 1961 at the Alto Xingu of the Parque Indígena do Xingu
Xingu National Park
The Parque Nacional Xingu is located in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil and was created on April 14, 1961, signed by President Jânio Quadros. The area of the park is 2,642,003 ha., and it is contained in the municipalities of Mato Grosso; Canarana, Paranatinga, São Félix do Araguaia, São José do...
, one furnished, in order to offer to the remaining ethnic minorities a shelter. This had contributed that the number of the Xingu here living in 32 settlements rose to today again over 3000 inhabitants, half of them younger than 15 years.
The Xingu living in this region have similar habits and social systems, despite different languages. Specifically, they consist of the following Indian peoples: the Aweti
Aweti
The Aweti people are a group of Native Americans living in the Xingu Indigenous Park, close to the headwaters of the Xingu River in Brazil. The Aweti inhabit two villages in the region. One is called Tazu’jyretam, and the other is unnamed. Tazu’jyretam is the main village of the Aweti people,...
, Kalapalo
Kalapalo
The Kalapalo are one of the seventeen Brazilian indigenous tribes who inhabit the Xingu National Park in the Upper Xingu river region of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. They are also one of the four peoples speaking Cariban languages in the area. They have a population of 569...
, Kamaiurá, Kayapó, Kuikuro
Kuikuro
The Kuikuro are an indigenous ethnic group from the Mato Grosso region of Brazil. Their language, Kuikuro, is a part of the Karib language family. The Kuikuro have many similarities with other Xingu tribes...
, Matipu
Matipu
The Matipu are an ethnic group close to extinction in Brazil which has a population estimated at about 127 individuals in 2010, they had a population of 40 in the 1995 census. They speak the Matipu language of the Carib family and are mainly of animist faith.They live in the Brazilian state of...
, Mehinako
Mehinako
The Mehinako, Mehinaku, Mehináku, or Meinacos are members of an indigenous group located in the region around the headwaters of the Xingu River in Brazil. They speak an Arawakan language and currently reside in area around the Tuatuari and Kurisevo rivers...
, Nahukuá
Nahukuá
The Nahukuá are members of a small, indigenous ethnic group in the upper Xingu River area of Brazil. Their population was 146, as of 2010, making them the smallest group in the region.-History:...
, Suyá
Suya
Suya, is a shish kebab like food popular in West Africa, originally from the Hausa people of northern Nigeria and Niger. Suya is generally made with skewered beef, fish, or chicken. The meat is rubbed-in with tankora, a dry spice mix containing powdered groundnuts, cayenne pepper, ginger, paprika...
, Trumai
Trumai
The Trumai are an indigenous group in Brazil. They currently reside within the Xingu National Park, in the state of Matto Grosso...
, Waura and Yawalapiti
Yawalapiti
The Yawalapiti are an indigenous tribe in the Amazonian Basin of Brazil. The name is also spelled Yawalapiti, and Iaualapiti in Portuguese. The current village Yawalapiti is situated more to the south, between the Tuatuari and Kuluene River. The Yawalapiti language belongs to the Arawakan family...
.
External links
- The Indians of the Xingu: Cultural Homogenization in the Amazon Rainforest
- A Report on the Xingu Peoples and the Land
- A Xingu case study, the Rainforest Action Network
- Xingu, on Povos indigenous do Brasil