MANCHMERI TRIBE IN BRAZIL

THE MANCHMERI SHARE IN AMAZONIA, THE SAME ARAWAK LANGUAGE. BOTH OF THESE GROUPS CAN BE CONSIDERED THE SAME PEOPLE. IN BRAZIL THEY ARE IN MAMOADATER INDIGENOUS TERRITORY. THEY OCCUPY THE SOUTH REGION OF THE STATE OF ACRE. SOME LIVE IN BOLIVIA AND PERU. THEIR ENVIRONMENT HAS RIVERS , FIELDS, AND FORESTS. THEY USED ALL OF THESE TERRITORIES. IN THE PLAIN FIELDS THEY SPROUTED GRASSES IN THE SUMMER WHICH ANIMALS AND DEER AND CAPYBARA GRAZED. THEIR FORESTS HAVE OTHER VEGTATION THAT ATTRACT GAME ANIMALS. HERE THEY COLLECT TABOCA FOREST.

THE FUNCI CREATED THE MANIODATE INDIGENOUS TERRITORY IN 1975. THEY TRANSFERRED THEM TO TO MANIOADATE TERRITORY. THIS IS AN AREA OF LAND THAT IS ABOUT 313,000 HA IN SIZE. THEY HAVE DEVELOPED MANY CITIES. THE MANCHMERI WERE LIVING ALONG THE MACAUCA AND CALATE RIVER. THEY LIVED UNTIL ABOUT 90 YEARS! IN THE PAST THERE WAS ABOUT 2000 PEOPLE FROM UPPER IACO. THEY HAD MANY CONTACTS WITH THEIR OTHER NEIGHBORS NEIGHBORS. THEY FORMED THE YANERI MEANING LIVING CLOSE TO EACH OTHER AND INTERMARRYING. THE NCIENT PEOPLE HERE CALLED PIRO SIMILARILY LIVED NEXT TO EACH OTHER. THEY HAD MANY TRIBAL NAMES. IN THE PAST THEY HAD ABOUT 2000 PEOPLE. THE PIRO SAY THEY DID NOT INTERMARRY BETWEEN EACH OTHER. THEY ONLY DID SO WHEN THEY ENSLAVED AND FORCED TO LIVE TOGETHER BY RUBBER BOSSES.

BY THE 19TH CENTURY THEY SAW THE START OF LARGE SCALE INVASIONS AND BEGAN TO SUFFER MASSACRES. PRESSURE CAME FROM TWO DIRECTIONS, BY RUBBER TAPPERS WHO ALSO SETTLED FAMILIES IN THIS REGION. AT FIRST THE INDIANS WERE NOT INCORPORATED AS A WORKFORCE IN RUBBER, BUT WERE FOREST GUIDES. IN THE QUEST FOR NEW RUBBER. WHEN THEIR CRISIS HIT THEY WERE ENCOURAGED TO REMOVE RUBBER.

RUBBER TRANSFORMED THEIR LIFE PROVOKING CONFLICTS OF OF THEIR ANCESTORS. THERE WAS A LONG CONFLICT WITH THE BOLVIANS. THEIR GOVERNMENT TRIED TO EXPEL THEM FROM THEIR LAND AND ENSLAVED THEM FOR EXTRACTING RUBBER, AND SUPPLYING GAME AND FISH AS WELL AS DOMESTIC WORK.

THEIR WORD FOR SHAMAN WAS KARRUNHOTI. THIS FIGURE IS OUND IN VARIOUS CIRCLES OF MANACHINARI LIFE. KARRUNHOTI WOULD VENTURE ABOVE INTO THE FOREST TO CONSUME WINE. HE WENT ALONE AND WITH WHOEVER HE WAS GOING TO CURE. THE NEXT DAY THE PAIENT WAS GOOD. WOMEN WOULD NOT GO ON ANY ACCOUNT. HE HAD MORE POLITICAL POWER THAN THE CHIEF. HE SUSPENDED HIS HAMMOCK AND BEGAN TO SING AND WHEN THE TIME WAS RIGHT HE WOULD SAY COME HERE. THE SICK PERSON CAME AND WHAT HE COULD TAKE OUT WITH HIS HANDS HE TOOK OUT. AND HE SUCKED OUT OTHER SICKNESS AS WELL.

WHEN SOMEONE DIE HE'D TAKE REVENGE AND KILL SOMEONE IN THE OLD DAYS. THEY FOUGHT AMONG THEMSELVES. MY FATHER TOLD ME THAT SOMEONE WOULD GO HUNTING WITH A JAGUAR TO TELL HIM WHICH PATH TO TAKE. MY FATHER SANG ALONE LIKE THAT.

THEY HUNTED USING PERSONAL TRAILS RATHER THAN BELONGING TO A GROUP.. THE TRAILS ARE USED RESTRICTIVELY. THE TRAILS MAY NOT BE SHORTTENED. THE TRAILS MAY BE SHORT OR LONG. A HUNTER ARMED WITH A RIFLE WOULD ALSO USE DOGS HISTORICALLY. IF HE RETURNS WITHOUT ANY MEAT HE GOES THROUGH A PURIFYING SESSION. THIS ACTS AS A WAY TO EXPEL HARM.

THEY FISH WITH A NET. AND IT IS AN IMPORTANT FOOD SOURCE. THE WIFE SPENDS TIME THERE TOO. BY JUNE THEY CLEAR THE FIELDS SO BY AUGUST IT WILL DRY TO BURN. BY SEPTEMBER THEIR RICE IS HARVESTED . AFTER BURNING THEY PLANT SEEDS AS IT IS WARM, THEIR FORM OF AGRICULTURE IS SIMILAR TO OTHERS IN THE AREA.

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