Location: Xingú Park, Mato Grosso, southern Pará (Map).
The Kayapó live in villages dispersed along the upper course of the Iriri,
Bacajá and Fresco rivers, as well as affluents of the voluminous Xingu river,
outlining a territory almost as large as Austria in Central Brazil and almost
entirely covered in equatorial rainforest, with the exception of the eastern
section, filled by some areas of scrubland.
9 villages
Alternative Names: Xikrin, Txhukahamai, Mebęngokrę
Auto-Denomination: Mebęngôkre
Language Classification: Macro-Ję, Ję, Kayapó
Population: 7,096 (in 2003)
The Kayapo
Indians live in the vast plain lands of the Matto Grosso in Brazil, south
of the Amazon Basin . Their area includes the Brazilian frontier
which contains the mining and lumber industry where they participate in many aspects
of the contemporary world. The Kayapo use a cash economy and have stayed on good terms
with their Brazilian neighbors without compromising their socio-cultural
integrity. This is accomplished in part by adhering to their art-making and
rituals. Traditionally, the Kayapo men wear discs in their lower lip. A small
incision is made and a disk inserted. As time goes on the disks become
progressively larger. Body adornment symbolizes many things in their Native American
society. Ear plugs symbolize receptivity to others while a lip plug symbolizes
assertiveness. Aggressive and faction-prone groups like the Kayapo will
signal their aggressiveness (while asserting they seek to contain it) by not
wearing large ear plugs (they do not listen to others well, deafened by the
pursuit of individual and group advancement), by sporting exaggerated lip plugs
(thereby signaling their oral assertiveness), and by wearing penis sheaths (marking the need to constrain their phallic
aggressiveness).
The Kayapo are also a highly evolved group
ecologically, exemplifying living in
balance with the ecosystem. They cultivate many types of plants utilizing
biological pest control. They domesticate and classify the insect life. All
parts of the surrounding jungle are utilized by them for practical and
medicinal purposes. The Kayapo belong to the Ge linguistic group that reside
around the southern tributaries of the Amazon. They represent an ancient
culture of seasonal farmers and gatherers. During the rainy season they live
in highly complex wheel-shaped villages in the scrub and savanna area of
the Matto Grosso partaking in a rich ceremonial life. During the dry season
they break up into smaller bands and disperse into a wider area.
Ibid: Arts of the Amazon, Thames and Hudson
|
| A Kayapo burden basket (Photo property of Hands Around the World.)
|
Additional Information
General Information
Kayapo Indians - SIL International
Socioambiental
The Kayapo
Projeto PinkaitĂ
The Kayapo Indians
Resources on the Kayapo
The Overstory #34--Forest Islands, Kayapo Example
Kayapos
Culture
Music of the Kayapo
Ethnologue report for Kayapo
The Overstory #34 - Forest Islands, Kayapo Example
The Kayapo - Out of the Forest
09/27/00 - Kayapo Hold Inspectors in Pará
Kayapó Puzzle
The Kayapo Indians’ Struggle in Brazil" by Ava Y. Goodale
Brazil--Kayapo split over benefits of mining and logging
WORLDwrite: Brazil Exchange
Brazilian Music: The Music of Brazilian Indians
Photos/Videos
Gerhard Prokop paintings, Two,
Three
Jean Pierre Dutilleux - The
Kayapo
The Rainforest Foundation - photos
Anthrophoto Image Gallery : Search Results for Kayapo
Art
Smithsonian
Institution - How a photographic assignment served as the catalyst in the
Smithsonian's acquisition of a collection of beautiful Brazilian Indian feather
head-dresses.
The Rankin Museum
Tale of the Kayapo Feather
Headdresses
