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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
Location: the vast plain lands of the Matto Grosso to the east of the Tocantins River, south of the Amazon Basin in Brazil (Map). Xerente territory - comprised of the Xerente and Funil indigenous lands ("terras indígenas") - is located in the brushlands of the State of Tocantins, to the east of the Tocantins River, 70 kilometers to the north of the capitol city, Palmas.
Other Names: A'uwe, Awen, Akwe, Akwen
Population: 1,814 (in 2000)
Language: Ję family
The Xerente exploited the resources of the brushlands through hunting and gathering, associated with a complementary swidden agriculture. Extensiveness of territory was thus always a basic condition for the constitution and reproduction of the group. It is not by chance that Xerente male identity is directly associated with being considered a "good hunter", a "good walker" and "runner." Hunting, fishing, and gathering activities, as well as agriculture, are intimately associated with the knowledge that the Xerente have of nature, its potentials and limitations.
The cycle of activities dedicated to agriculture is divided between the dry season - which they call "summer" - and the rainy season - called "winter." The first covers the months of May to September, and the second, from October to April. The great majority of the gardens are located in the immediate vicinity of the villages, near rivers and streams close to the galley-forests. Another type of garden which is much used by the Xerente is made near the banks of the Tocantins River, on nearly the whole western frontier of the territory, about 12 kilometers in length.
Other important items in the basic diet of the Xerente, such as honey, fruits, and various roots, are obtained through gathering, an activity by which they also obtain medicinal plants. Fishing, which once was an important source of food for the Xerente, has progressively declined in importance over the years, due to the impact of the large-scale development projects (dams, hydroelectrics) undertaken on the Tocantins River. Hunting also has gotten much scarcer due to the pressures on natural resources.
In compensation, the Xerente have sought other sources of income. The making and selling of artwork - basketry, warclubs, bows and arrows, collars, etc. - despite being very depreciated by the regional population, is one of the principal activities developed by the group, since the raw material utilized (buriti-fibres, sawgrass seeds, coco straw, etc) is accessible to the whole population.
Text from © Instituto Socioambiental. You can find their web site here: http://www.socioambiental.org/e/
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Introduction from the Encyclopedia Britannica:
Sherente - also spelled Xerente, Brazilian Indian group speaking Sherente, a Macro-Ge language. The Sherente live in northern Goias state, on a hilly upland plateau that is broken up by strips of forest that trace the courses of the rivers flowing through the region. They numbered approximately 500 in the late 20th century.
The Sherente and the closely related Shavante at one time lived as neighbors along the Tocantins River in Goias state; the earliest travelers through the area failed to distinguish the two groups, ethnically or linguistically. By the 1840s, however, newcomers settling along the Tocantins River had pushed the Sherente and Shavante away from the river; the Sherente moved northeast, to their present home between the Tocantins River and the Sono River.p
The Sherente, unlike the Shavante, interacted with the missionaries and other early settlers; some learned Portuguese, some became Christians, and most became knowledgeable about mainstream Brazilian culture. In the second half of the 20th century, the Sherente were an "integrated" group, participating so fully in the Brazilian society and economy that they are no longer considered to have a distinct tribal identity.
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| Small covered Xerente baskets approximately 3" or 4" in diameter. Click on the thumbnail for a full-size picture, then click the top-left BACK button to return. Photo property of Hands Around the World. |
Additional Information
Indian Lands Continue to be Cut by Roads - ... built under the pretext of development.
Ethnoarchaeology (Ethinic archaeology) - ... also document the manner how the Indians fabricated the objects, following all the work ... Daily life in Xerente settlement at Tocantins: straw basket production ...
Brazzil - Xerente Indians have already reported deficiencies in the provision of health care services...
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