The Fierce People

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One of the oldest and last remaining ancient cultures in the world
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Their existence wasn't really known to the world until the 20th century
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1940-1960 first missionaries
• got infected with an illness that caused many deaths
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1970-1980constant compact with the regional border by development projects, large losses
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1980, rich mineral stores were discovered, gold diggers came
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1993, Haximu massaccre where 16 people of the
Yanomami were killed by Gold Diggers

In the Amazon region of Venzuela and Brazil
Tropical Rainforest of Northern Amazonia on the border between Brazil and Venezuela
(Ornico-Amazon interfluvial region where there is fertile land near the Amazon river)
Past Location: Headwaters of Parima and Orinoco Rivers
Parima Mountain range and the watershed between the upper orinoco and right bank affluents of Rio Branco t

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Very warm climate
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During the rainy season it is humid

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Migrated across the Bering Straits between Asia and America some 40,000 years ago making their way slowly down to South America
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Inhabited the region of Orinoco and Parima Rivers for the past 1,000 years
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Past 700 years, split into subgroups and developed different languages
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In the Early 1800's migrated from Parima mountain regions to nearby lowlands
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Considered "Primitive" because they have not discovered wheels and metals
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Isolated Culture, haven't really spread around much
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Missionaries have come in hopes of converting them to Christianity, others have come introducing them to new technologies but it hasn't worked
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Live in their own little world, best for them

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Rainforest plants are rich in secondary metabolites, particularly alkaloids
At least 3000 fruits are found in the rainforests; of these only 200 are now in use in the Western World. The Indians of the rainforest use over 2,000
One-fifth of the world's fresh water is in the
Amazon Basin.
Fertile Land for growing crops, diverse wildelife

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Hunter-Horticulturalists
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Hunter because they hunt
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Horticulturalists because they have an advanced knowledge on crops and gardening
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Also may use slash and burn technique to clear gardens and nurture growing seeds
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Trade is important among tribes for acquire basic resources and distribute surplus items, also trade for political reasons to form alliances
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Trading items include recreational drugs, cotton, tobacco

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Stagnant/slow decline
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1,000 goldminers are working on thier land illegally
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Cattle Rancher's are invading and
• deforestating the eastern fringe of land
• malria, polluting rivers with mercury
Survival efforts are there

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Leadership determines' the village's relationship with other villages
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The result of kinship/marriage
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Leaders "big men" come from the largest kinship; do not recognize Chiefs
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Consider males more important/powerful than women
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Clear Gardens, plant crops, collect wild foods and hunt
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Leaders are peace makers/warriors, referred to as fierce because peirce making takes forcefulness

Relationships between groups are maintained through alliance and warfare
In this patrilineage, fellow lineage members are close relative, call each other brother and sister
If they aren't as close may develop hostile relationships which results in segmentation of the village which forms new settlements
People may be tied together by affinal ties or consanguine ties ( house/village)
Settlements not linked by marriage or divided by way invite each other to elaborate feasts which includes gifts of
Exogamy rare, usually for military alliances
Marriages not for love

Neo Indians with Culture that date backs to 8,000 years
Descendants of an indigenous group that had remained isolated for a remote period of time
Populations kept dispersing, process of internal differentiation, forming new languages
Each community is independent from each other
Descisions are made my a consensus
Consider women to be inferior, male dominant
Men hunt for prey, women tend the gardens
Mutifamily houses called shabanos/Yano (in the shape of a cone)
Each collective village an autonomous economic/political entity
Approxamately 200-250 villages, about 40-350 in one village

Daily Life includes: gardening, collecting firewood, making crafts, fetching water, gossiping/visiting with eachother

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Have not made and significant contribution the the world other than being
• a topic of study
Research their diets because they have high potassium levels

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Practice Animism (every creature, rock, tree, mountain has a spirit)
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Shaman's control these spirits by inhaling a hallucinogenic material.
Inhaling the hallucinogen gives the shaman the power to control these spirits or Xapripe Davi Kapenawa
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Believe there is a God called Omama, who blessed them with forest, trees and animals
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Believe that animals were once humans to but were made animals because of the bad things they did
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Men become Shaman's, main job is to heal the sick. Ironically, they also believe that illness is called by the shaman who is making the hekura, or
• spirit sicken the body
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Training period with food depravation and abstinence from sex
Pull the demon out with the help of his own demons

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Cosmos consist of 4 layers
The top layer is empty but was once occupied by ancient beings duku ka
• misi
Second Layer (sky)) contain spirits of dead men and women It resembles
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• earth but everything is better hedu ka mis
Third Layer is the earth hei ka mis
The fourth layer is the underworld hei ta bebi
The Amahi Teri are spirits who live in the underworld and cause misfortune to humans

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Pass information orally, not from writing
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Play on words, chanting, myth telling, story telling to preserve thier history and entertain themselves
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No Musical instruments, women sing
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Drawing and paintings
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Sparse geometric designs, bold symbols, black/red, adorn common objects such as pots

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Men wear little more than string around thier waist, it is is a clear indication that a boy has become a man when he does that
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Women use cotton and yarn to make clothing, also make waistbands but it covers close to nothing
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Halter neck adornaments
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Feathers may be worn on the head upper arm or earlobes; express the relationship between man an animal, social status, personality, etc

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Older kin, usually men, brothers, uncle's or father
Girls usually marry right after thier first period
Practices Endogamy by marrying within thier village, exogamy in thier culture would be marrying from
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• another village
Settlements wouldn't be linked
Bilateral cross cousing marriage
Polygamus marriages, more specifically polygany with
• one man with multiple wives
The oldest wife has precedence of the other wives

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Called Reahu
Lament by singing and chanting
Corpse is quickly burned, women and children absence
• themselves
After cremating their dead, they crush and drink thier
• bones in a plantain pure
A way of showing affection for the dead, intended to
• keep the loved ones with them forever
Helps ensure that the soul of the dead will find its way back to hedu (paradise above earth)

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Settlements not linked by marriage or divided by war invite each other to elaborate feasts which includes gifts of valuable trade items given by the host to the guest village
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Celebrate good harvest with a big feast

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Snakes, Wild Pigs, deers, insects, larvae, fish, crabs, wild honey, nuts, shellfish, plantain, sweet potato, palm fruits, fish
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80-90% of its food is eaten from their gardens
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Hunting accounts for about 10% of its food supply, as is shared equally
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A Brazilian research study showed that the Yanomamo tribe has significantly low body fat and sodium, and also contain high levels of potassium, compared to other distinct populations in other continents,
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Wild Honey is greatly valued

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Behavior is learned and taught by parents
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Number system is 1, 2 and more than two
Children practice shooting and throwing, no formal school

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Finished cords made from twisted inner bark. Used as materials to make hammocks
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Tools are devised from materials that can be made immediately from the environment
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Curare and Timbo, poison used for catching fish
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Special pots used to prepare food deasts
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Bow Staves; 5-6 ft longs made of palm wood very dense
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Bow Staves are also made by shaving the sock with incisors
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Fire Drill, a two piece gadget. The one piece of wood about 10 inches long that has several holes due to friction. The lower piece is held down by the foot while the other piece is spun until a fire ignites by feeding from the glowing dust with tinder

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