NANBIKIKWARA INDIANS IN BRAZIL

THE NAMBIKIKWARA ARE FAMOUS IN BRAZIL FOR BEING STUDIED BY CLAUDE LEVI STRAUS. THEY LIVE ON THE JURENA RIVER. THEY ALSO LIVE IN THE AMAZON RAIN FOREST AND A TRANSITIONAL AREA BETWEEN THE TWO EASY ECOSYSTEMS.. THEY HAVE A SIMPLE MATERIAL CULTURE AND COMPLETED COSMOLOGY. THEIR TERRITORY IS PARTLY SAVANNA AND DENSE FOREST THAT COVERS 5% OF THE REGION.

HISTORICALLY THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD WAS IN THE COXIPO RIVER IN 1719. THE PORTUGUESE WORKED THESE RIVERS AND DID NOT BOTHER THE INDIANS. THE FIRST RECORDS OF WHERE THE NAMB DATE FROM 1770 AS THEY ROAD TO SEARCH FOR MORE GOLD. THE EXPEDITION MENTIONS SABANE PEOPLE NEAR RIVERS THEY CROSSED. THEY WERE PART OF THE NANBIKIKWARA TERRITORY.

BY THE END OF THE 1770'S GOLD WAS BECOMING EXHAUSTED. ANOTHER GROUP ENTERED THEIR TERRITORY WHO EXTRACTED POAIA IN 1854. BY 1900'S THE INDIAN PROTECTION ACT WAS DIRECTED BY RONDON. IN 1959 MISSIONARIES FROM THE SUMMER INSTITUTE REGION WORK WITH THE NANBIKWARA GROUPS. THE NANBIKWARA HAD PERMANENT CONTACTS WITH CATHOLIC MISSIONARIES.

IN THE 1940'S THE RUBBER EXTRACTION INTENSIFIED ACROSS THE AMAZON REGION AND THE NANBIKIWARA WERE WORKING AS THEIR LABORERS.

BY 1940 TO 1970 THERE ARE RECORDS THAT SAY THEY FEEL THEY HAD EPIDEMICS AND THEY AVOIDED FREQUENT CONTACT WITH ANGLOS.

BY THE 1960'S THEIR MOST FERTILE SOIL WAS SOLD TO FARMING COMPANIES WHO RECEIVED FEDERAL FUNDS.

THEIR HOUSES WERE BASICALLY WIKIUPS MADE OF PALES OF PALM LEAVES FOR A ROOF. THEY ARE PLACED ON TOP OF A SMALL ROOF. THEY PLACED ON TOP OF AS SMALL HILL AND SOME HAVE A LARGE PLAZA NEAR RIVERS. THEY HAVE TRAILS RADIATING AWAY FROM THE VILLAGE.

IN THE VILLAGE PLAZA THEY HAVE RITUALS. DURING HUNTING THEY BUILT TEMPORARY CAMPS. THEY WERE SEMI-NOMADIC. THEY HAVE SHAMANS WHO POSSESS MANY OBJECTS AND HAVE BODY DECORATIONS. THEY WEAR BLACK BEADS. THEY ALSO HAVE INTERNAL DECORATIONS AND CAN SEE CURING SESSIONS. THE SHAMAN HAS A KIND OF DEATH WALK IN THE FOREST. HIS INITIATION IS BRUTAL - HE IS BEATEN AND MAY HAVE ARROWS SHOT AT HIM. THIS IS A KIND OF FORMAL APPRENTICESHIP. THEY SING AND SUCK OUT BAD OBJECTS , AND BLOW TOBACCO SMOKE.

SOCIOAMBENTAL.ORG