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.
