KAIABI INDIAN IN BRAZIL

THE KAIABI INDIAN HAVE VIGOROUSLY RESISTED THE INVASION OF THEIR LANDS BY RUBBER COMPANIES SINCE THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY. AFTER 1950'S THE LAND WAS DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS. MOST KAIABI MOVED TO INDIAN PARK. THEY PRACTICED DIVERSE AGRICULTURE, WITH A COMPLEX DESIGN BASED ON THEIR MYTHOLOGY. THEY ARE ACTIVE IN INDIGENOUS MOVEMENT ORGANIZED IN DEFENSE OF OF THE PARK'S INTERESTS. THESE NATIVES WERE CONSIDERED WILD AND INDOMITABLE UNTIL THE 1900'S. MANY CONFLICTS TOOK PLACE WITH RUBBER COMPANIES, TRAVELERS, AND FUNCTIONARIES FROM THE INDIAN PROTECTION SERVICE. WERE INDUCED TO WORK FOR THE RUBBER COMPANIES. LATER THEY REMOVED TIMBER AND PLANTED FARMS. BY THE 1950'S THE LAND HAD BEEN DIVIDED INTO PLOTS BY THE STATE. THIS EXPEDITION MET THE KAIABI IN A SITUATION OF CONFLICT WITH NO LIKELIHOOD OF IMPROVEMENT. THE MIGRATION TO OTHER AREAS WITHIN THE TERRITORY AND ARMED RESISTANCE TO THE INVADERS WAS NOT FEASIBLE. NO ONE SUPPORTED THE NATIVES FOR THEIR LANDS. THE INDIAN PROTECTION SERVICE ACTED AGAINST THEM IN RECRUITING THEM TO WORK IN RUBBER COMPANIES. OR THEY COULD MOVE TO THEIR INDIGENOUS PARK.

THERE WAS A MIGRATION TO THIS PARK AFTER INVOLVEMENT WITH THE EXPEDITION. THERE WAS STILL A LOT OF CONFLICT. THIS LEFT DEEP MARKS AND DIVIDED THEM. THEIR WAS A SMALL GROUP WHICH DID NOT REMOVED TO INDIGENOUS PARK. THERE ARE CURRENTLY 1000 FOLKS IN HERE AND THEIR GROWTH RATE IS GOING UP. THEY NOW HAVE BETTER MEDICAL ASSISTANCE AND HIGH BIRTH RATES. THEY HAD SMALL FAMILY UNITS IN THEIR VILLAGES. THEY LATER ATTENDED THEIR FAMILIES INTO LARGER UNITS. THEIR ARE ADVANTAGES IN LIVING IN LARGER UNITS. SETTLEMENTS RANGE FROM SMALL ONE FAMILY GROUPINGS. BEFORE TRANSFERENCE THE KAIABI HOUSES WERE VERY LARGE SHELTERINGS FOR THEIR MEMBERS. THEY WERE BUILT WITH STRAW THATCHED ROOFS. THESE FOLKS ARE STRONGLY AGRICULTURAL WHICH THEY KEPT AS THEY MIGRATED TO A NEW COUNTRY. THEY CULTIVATED PLANTS AND HAD AN ELABORATE EXCHANGE SYSTEM. THEY PLANTED MANIOC SWIDDENS AND USED TO HARVEST VARIOUS PLANTS SUCH AS CORN, COTTON, POTATOES, YAM, AND BANANAS, BEANS, PUMPKIN, AND WATERMELON. THEIR STAPLE IS MANIOC FLOUR AND FISH. THIS IS COMPLIMENTED WITH CASSAVA BREAD AND FRUITS. WITH INCREASED SEDENTARISM OF THE GROUP THEY GOT HAVE MORE FISH.

THEY HAVE A RICH MATERIAL CULTURE AND MAKE BASKETS AND HAVE SIEVES. THEY ARE DECORATED WITH FIGURES FROM THESE GROUPS MYTHOLOGY. THEY ALSO WEAVE COTTON HAMMOCKS. THE KAIABI ARE WARRIOR PEOPLE. THEY HAVE RITUALS AFTER SOMEONE PASSES AWAY.

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