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Hands Around the World |
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Hands Around the World |
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Indian Cultures from Around the World
Area: States of Roraima and Amazonas, Brazil (Map)
Other Names: Kinja, Kiña, Uaimiry, Crichaná
First Contact: 1732
Population: 931 (in 2001)
Language Root: Karib
Economy: Agriculture
Today: In l992 they were in judicial battle to realize their part of the Hydroelectric Project promises. In 1999 the Programa Waimiri Atroari is considered a model project and a valid solution for the indigenous situation in the Amazon Basin.
The Waimiri-Atroari Indians live in deep in the Amazon Rain forest of Northern Brazil. This nation was in constant open warfare for over 300 years. When first contacted by the early spice hunters, their territory was one of the most feared and impenetrable in the Amazon. They finally surrendered to "pacification by a government agency" in 1977 to make way for the Pan American Highway and a hydroelectric project. At the time of their surrender their population was around 3000. In l968 a Catholic priest and 7 nuns were discovered dead in Waimiri territory. The number of Waimiri killed in retaliation was never released.
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The phrase mydy taha, literally “big house,” refers to the communal residential structure, built in a circular format, where most of the village members live. The term also designates the space that makes up the village, both the living quarters and its immediate surroundings, including the gardens. The mydy taha is an important space for the Waimiri Atroari, since it serves not only as a settlement but also as a ritual space during their festivities. New villages are founded according to the community's needs, such as an increase in the population, the exhaustion of garden soils, or a scarcity of game.
Mydy taha are located near large rivers and seasonal streams. Each village enjoys economic and political autonomy, since no centralized power exists. The formation of a new village takes place gradually, relying on a prestigious person known as a mydy iapremy, “village master,” to mobilize a set of domestic groups to open up a new space. First, they choose a site within the region destined for the settlement, and then begin work on the gardens. When the crops appear, people start building a large circular communal house, the mydy taha. The structure will house various domestic groups, made up of relatives that include affines (in-laws) and cognates (kin). Each family has its own hearth and specific section.
The economic activities of a village are based on hunting, fishing, agriculture, and gathering wild fruits. Men are responsible for hunting game, which may take place during the day or at nighttime. Both sexes are allowed to fish, and often the whole family may go out fishing. Another activity that is undertaken by everyone in a family is gathering wild fruits. The greatest division of labor occurs in agriculture. Men are the ones who fell trees, burn them, and clear the gardens, while women are the ones who harvest the crops. Both take part in planting the gardens, a collective activity involving all the families, who also collectively divide up the produce. The crops include bitter manioc, sweet manioc, several types of sweet potatoes, yams, and certain fruits.
Besides these garden crops, the Waimiri Atroari menu includes many species of fish and animals, such as tapirs, howler monkeys, coatis, pakas, wild pigs, curassows, and trumpeter birds, among others. Not all animals and fishes may be eaten on a daily basis. Various food restrictions are imposed on individuals at significant points in their lives, such as birth, rites of passage, first menstruation, and purification before and after a war.
Text from © Instituto Socioambiental. You can find their web site here: http://www.socioambiental.org/e/
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Back packs by the Waimair-Atroari Indians.
Photos property of Hands Around the World.
Additional Information
Waimiri-Atroari - web page
Waimiri-Atroari - search for "waimiri" to get an index of articles
Waimiri-Atroari - fight Paranapanema for their rights
Adote Um Povo Waimiri-Atroari Perfil
Government Agrees with Waimiri-Atroari Indians to Pave Road
The Rankin Museum - photos
Ethnobotany of the Waimiri Atroari Indians of Brazil. by W. Milliken, R.P. Miller, S.R. Pollard & E.V. Wandelli. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, 1992. The decline in the area of the Brazilian rain-forests, and the assimilation of their indigenous peoples into modern society is leading to a loss of traditional information on plant uses. This book enumerates the uses of the plants found in terra firme forest in the lands of the Waimiri Atroari Indians. An introductory section deals with the Waimiri Atroari and their history, and with their plant nomenclature and usage. Species are then listed with their local names, voucher specimen numbers, and their uses as recorded elsewhere in the literature. ix + 146 pp. Four colour plates, and other illustrations. Soft Cover. ISBN 0 947643 50 8
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