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
Atroari
AmazonPress.com.br
Governo
do Estado do Acre
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
