®
Experiences in
Brazil- Venezuela- Mexico
ABOUT THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF THE AMAZON
We present a very brief synopsis about the indigenous ethnic groups of the Venezuelan Amazon that inhabit the routes where we carry out our expeditions.
It must be taken into account that the fact of traveling through its regions implies showing deep respect for its habitat, culture and traditions. When we visit an indigenous community, we do our best to cause as little impact as possible; however, and it is inevitable, these indigenous communities experienced a progressive acculturation throughout the centuries, since the Europeans began to colonize the "New World". Whenever we visit indigenous communities it is because we receive authorization from their tribal leaders and they accept us and share their customs with us (ceremonies, rituals, hunting, fishing, housing, food); instead, we must show respect, modesty and consideration.
Always follow the instructions of our guides and understand that the happiness of these people lies in their interconnection with nature, which provides them with everything they need and not in our invasive and often misused technology.
NOTE: We will post more about our indigenous peoples of the Venezuelan Amazon in future posts through our Blog.
The indigenous population of the state of Amazonas represents, approximately, 45% of the total population of the state. The ethnological culture of this federal entity is the largest in Venezuela, since it has 20 different tribes, distinguished by their own languages and customs. In the Amazon, indigenous languages of the Arawakó-Caribbean family are spoken.
→ YANOMAMI.
They represent 26% of the state's indigenous population. They are located in the Alto Orinoco and extend throughout Brazil, their settlements are the "Shabonos", which can be located in a river or in the mountains, where the conucos that guarantee their food are located. Among their most interesting customs is that of cremating their dead, and then with the ashes, making a drink that, according to their customs, would give them all the vitality of the deceased.
Adult women are short, they do not exceed 1.50 m, they walk completely naked except for a small loincloth, among the most common facial adornments is that of a cane that crosses the woman's nasal septum and the haircut characteristic of female ethnicity; it should be noted that while most indigenous ethnic groups face extinction, the Yanomami remain the largest indigenous people in the Amazon.
The Maquiritares or Yekuanas, of the Caribe family, live in the east and northeast of the state. The Piaroa represent 22% of the indigenous population. The Guahibos represent 21% of the state's indigenous population.
During our expedition we will get to know other important ethnic groups of the Venezuelan Amazon:
→ PIAROA.
The Uwotjuja ethnic group, better known as Piaroa in Venezuela, and in Colombia as Dearuwa and Wotuja, linguistically belongs to the Saliva family and is established in the states of Amazonas and Bolívar in Venezuela, on the right bank of the middle Orinoco.
→ BANIVAS.
The Banivas or Baniwas are indigenous people who live in the Isana river basin, on the border between Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia. They speak a language from the Arawak language family, closely related to the Kurripako language. Today, the few hundred Banivas that remain divided between Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela persist in this battle to defend their land, their language and their cultural traditions in the face of the new threats they face.
→ CURRIPACOS.
The Kurripako are an indigenous people who live in the basins of the Isana, Atabapo and Guainía rivers (also called Río Negro), as well as in the lower Inírida and upper Orinoco. In the Colombian department of Guainía, between the Guaviare and Orinoco rivers, in the department of Vichada; in the Venezuelan state of Amazonas; and in Ayarí and São Gabriel da Cachoeira, in Amazonas.
→ YE´KUANA.
The Ye'kuana are an indigenous people and Carib culture, occupying some tributaries of the Orinoco in the states of Amazonas and Bolívar in Venezuela, but there is also a small group on the Brazilian side of the border. The Yekuana are found in the state of Amazonas in Brazil and Venezuela; mainly in the upper Caura river, Erebato and Nichare; the Alto Ventuari and the Parú and Cuminá rivers. This territory includes the Jaua-Sarisariñama National Park. Currently, its population is estimated between 5,000 and 10,000 inhabitants; 7,753 people in the 2001 census of indigenous communities.
→ YERAL (ÑENGATÚ).
The native speakers live mainly in Venezuela, although they are originally from Brazil. They live in small groups from Piedra de Cucuy to Puerto Ayacucho in the state of Amazonas, near the border with Colombia and Brazil.
According to the Atlas of Indigenous Peoples; in Venezuela the majority has a population of 1,294 inhabitants. However, it should be noted that "Yeral" does not refer to a single ethnic group, but to groups that use Yeral as their language.
Yeral is from the Tupi-Guarani language family. According to the Ministry of Culture, the number of speakers of this language in Colombia is unknown; in any case, it is presumed reduced.
This language was used by the Jesuits at the beginning of the 17th century. It was a simplified version of the Tupinambá language mixed with elements of Portuguese (spoken on the east coast of Brazil). When the Portuguese arrived on the Brazilian coast in the 16th century, they found a widely spoken language: Tupinambá. The “general Brazilian” language descends from this language, which is currently recognized under the name of ñengatú.