What Do We Know About The Amazonian Indians

Answers questions about the indigenous people of Amazon region, their religion, language, customs, and culture, in words and pictures. Suggested level: intermediate, junior secondary.

Amazonia has long been a focus of debate about the impact of the tropical rain forest environment on indigenous cultural development. This edited volume draws on the subdisciplines of anthropology to present an integrated perspective of Amazonian studies. The contributors address transformations of native societies as a result of their interaction with Western civilization from initial contact to the present day, demonstrating that the pre- and postcontact characteristics of these societies display differences that until now have been little recognized. CONTENTS Amazonian Anthropology: Strategy for a New Synthesis, Anna C. Roosevelt The Ancient Amerindian Polities of the Amazon, Orinoco and Atlantic Coast: A Preliminary Analysis of Their Passage from Antiquity to Extinction, Neil Lancelot Whitehead The Impact of Conquest on Contemporary Indigenous Peoples of the Guiana Shield: The System of Orinoco Regional Interdependence, Nelly Arvelo-Jiménez and Horacio Biord Social Organization and Political Power in the Amazon Floodplain: The Ethnohistorical Sources, Antonio Porro The Evidence for the Nature of the Process of Indigenous Deculturation and Destabilization in the Amazon Region in the Last 300 Years: Preliminary Data, Adélia Engrácia de Oliveira Health and Demography of Native Amazonians: Historical Perspective and Current Status, Warren M. Hern Diet and Nutritional Status of Amazonian Peoples, Darna L. Dufour Hunting and Fishing in Amazonia: Hold the Answers, What are the Questions?, Stephen Beckerman Homeostasis as a Cultural System: The Jivaro Case, Philippe Descola Farming, Feuding, and Female Status: The Achuara Case, Pita Kelekna Subsistence Strategy, Social Organization, and Warfare in Central Brazil in the Context of European Penetration, Nancy M. Flowers Environmental and Social Implications of Pre- and Post-Contact Situations on Brazilian Indians: The Kayapo and a New Amazonian Synthesis, Darrell Addison Posey Beyond Resistance: A Comparative Study of Utopian Renewal in Amazonia, Michael F. Brown The Eastern Bororo Seen from an Archaeological Perspective, Irmhilde Wüst Genetic Relatedness and Language Distributions in Amazonia, Harriet E. Manelis Klein Language, Culture, and Environment: Tup¡-Guaran¡ Plant Names Over Time, William Balée and Denny Moore Becoming Indian: The Politics of Tukanoan Ethnicity, Jean E. Jackson

Amazonia has long been a focus of debate about the impact of the tropical rain forest environment on indigenous cultural development. This edited volume draws on the subdisciplines of anthropology to present an integrated perspective of Amazonian studies. The contributors address transformations of native societies as a result of their interaction with Western civilization from initial contact to the present day, demonstrating that the pre- and postcontact characteristics of these societies display differences that until now have been little recognized. CONTENTS Amazonian Anthropology: Strategy for a New Synthesis, Anna C. Roosevelt The Ancient Amerindian Polities of the Amazon, Orinoco and Atlantic Coast: A Preliminary Analysis of Their Passage from Antiquity to Extinction, Neil Lancelot Whitehead The Impact of Conquest on Contemporary Indigenous Peoples of the Guiana Shield: The System of Orinoco Regional Interdependence, Nelly Arvelo-Jiménez and Horacio Biord Social Organization and Political Power in the Amazon Floodplain: The Ethnohistorical Sources, Antonio Porro The Evidence for the Nature of the Process of Indigenous Deculturation and Destabilization in the Amazon Region in the Last 300 Years: Preliminary Data, Adélia Engrácia de Oliveira Health and Demography of Native Amazonians: Historical Perspective and Current Status, Warren M. Hern Diet and Nutritional Status of Amazonian Peoples, Darna L. Dufour Hunting and Fishing in Amazonia: Hold the Answers, What are the Questions?, Stephen Beckerman Homeostasis as a Cultural System: The Jivaro Case, Philippe Descola Farming, Feuding, and Female Status: The Achuara Case, Pita Kelekna Subsistence Strategy, Social Organization, and Warfare in Central Brazil in the Context of European Penetration, Nancy M. Flowers Environmental and Social Implications of Pre- and Post-Contact Situations on Brazilian Indians: The Kayapo and a New Amazonian Synthesis, Darrell Addison Posey Beyond Resistance: A Comparative Study of Utopian Renewal in Amazonia, Michael F. Brown The Eastern Bororo Seen from an Archaeological Perspective, Irmhilde Wüst Genetic Relatedness and Language Distributions in Amazonia, Harriet E. Manelis Klein Language, Culture, and Environment: Tup¡-Guaran¡ Plant Names Over Time, William Balée and Denny Moore Becoming Indian: The Politics of Tukanoan Ethnicity, Jean E. Jackson

The Wanano Indians of the northwest Amazon have a social system that differs from those of most tropical forest tribes. Neither stratified by wealth nor strictly egalitarian, Wanano society is "ranked" according to rigidly bound descent groups. In this pioneering ethnographic study, Janet M. Chernela decodes the structure of Wanano society. In Wanano culture, children can be "grandparents," while elders can be "grandchildren." This apparent contradiction springs from the fact that descent from ranked ancestors, rather than age or accumulated wealth, determines one's standing in Wanano society. Indeed, status in Wanano society is related to access to natural resources, and those with greater access are expected to share with members of lesser-ranking clans. Thus, wealth is distributed relatively evenly throughout the society. As the deforestation of the Amazon continues, the Wanano and other indigenous peoples face growing threats of habitat destruction and eventual extinction. If these peoples are to be saved, they must first be known and valued. The Wanano Indians of the Brazilian Amazon is an important step in that direction. It will also be valuable for comparison with societies in Africa, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East.

This book describes the author s visit to Brazil to check whether the recommendations by the International Red Cross for the improvement of the Amazonian Indians lot had been implemented by the Brazilian Government. To his consternation he discovered that not only had the recommendations been largely ignored but that the whole future of these tribal peoples was being jeopardized for the sake of progress. In return for their gift to the world of cocoa, peanuts, tomatoes, cashew, avocado and quinine, which are all of Amerindian origin, Indian tribes have received only disease, expropriation and death. They have no natural immunity to many of the diseases carried by the white man. Civilization is fast approaching the few remaining uncontacted tribes, and A Question of Survival poses the dilemma which faces Western Civilization and all who adhere to its philosophies: that in the name of progress and technological advance we are destroying all cultures in any way different from our own, even though they constitute the roots from which we have sprung, and without which our own stability and sense of continuity is threatened. It is, therefore, not just a question of survival for the South American Indian that the author is raising, but, by implication, the survival of us all as a species.

Describes the Barasana Indians of the Amazon River Basin and their life style which, due to their isolated environment, is very much like that of their ancestors.

An illustrated survey of the history, people, and everyday life in ancient Rome.

Treuer, an Ojibwe scholar and cultural preservationist, answers the most commonly asked questions about American Indians, both historical and modern. He gives a frank, funny, and personal tour of what's up with Indians, anyway.

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There is a lot that we are able to focus on when it comes to working with and understanding the Native American people. This is a group that was once in harmony with nature, who had an order that is different than what we see with many of our modern times, and who would be able to live peacefully with the world for many years. When the white settlers came from Europe and started to take over, this spelled trouble for the native tribes, as we will explore in more detail as we go through this guidebook and learn about these fascinating groups that are known as the Native Americans. Even though the U.S. government was able to take over these people fairly effectively, this group of people was able to share a lot of values and believes with us that we can benefit from today. This guidebook is going to spend some time talking about the Native people, from all of the different tribes that are out there, and so much more. We will walk right from the beginning of these people, with a look at where they originally came from and how they got to America, all the way through some of their legends, their music, their artwork, their main leaders, and more. While we are on this, we can even take a look at some of the ways that the white settlers took over, how they were able to gain the trust or the power to do all of this, and some of the many wars that resulted in the process. And we will follow the process through until our modern times with a look at how many of the Native tribes that survived are doing today. There are so many topics that we are able to explore when it comes to these varied and diverse tribes, and so much that we can learn as well. some of the topics that we need to look through here include: -Origin and some of the theories about how the native people made it through North and South America. -Some of the different tribes that populated the continent, including how they lived and some of the things that made them unique. -What happened as settlers started to expand out and take over the Americas. -After settling in the area, we take a look at how the settlers began their own country against England and then turned their sights towards conquering the West. -Some of the popular Indian chiefs and celebrities who fought on their side. -Some of the cultural aspects that we need to know about these people, including some of the art, myths, and more. -A look at some of the social characteristics that we can learn from the native tribes, including their organization, music, medicine, and more. -How the native people handled the environment around them, including the current teachings and myths about how to go with nature. -How the native tribes are fairing in our modern world today. There is so much that we can glean and learn from people who have not stood a fighting chance in many years. And this guidebook is going to walk us through all of that and how we can benefit from using some of their beliefs and more. When you are ready to learn more about respecting and loving the earth in a manner that is as reverent as the Native Americans, make sure to check out this guidebook to get started.