The Enawenê-Nawê are an
indigenous people of Brazil
Indigenous peoples in Brazil ( pt, povos indígenas no Brasil) or Indigenous Brazilians ( pt, indígenas brasileiros, links=no) once comprised an estimated 2000 tribes and nations inhabiting what is now the country of Brazil, before European con ...
in the
Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso ( – lit. "Thick Bush") is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest by area, located in the Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible for 1.9% of the Brazilian GDP.
Neighboring ...
state. They live in a large village near the
Iquê River in the
Enawenê Nawê Indigenous Land.
[ They practice agriculture, fishing, and gathering and do not hunt or eat red meat.
The Enawene Nawe are a relatively isolated people who were first contacted in 1974 by ]Vicente Cañas
Vicente Cañas, S.J. (October 22, 1939 in Alborea, Albacete – April 6, 1987 in Mato Grosso) was a Spanish Christian missionary and Jesuit brother, who is credited with making the first peaceful contact with the Enawene Nawe Indian tribe i ...
. They numbered 566 in 2012,[ up from 320 in 2000. In 2014 their number grew to 737.][
]
Name
The Enawené-Nawé are also known as the Enawenê-nawê,[ Eneuene-Mare or Salumã people. They are distinct from the Salumá people in ]Pará
Pará is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian state) ...
.[
]
Language
The Enawené-Nawé language is a Central Maipuran language
Arawakan (''Arahuacan, Maipuran Arawakan, "mainstream" Arawakan, Arawakan proper''), also known as Maipurean (also ''Maipuran, Maipureano, Maipúre''), is a language family that developed among ancient indigenous peoples in South America. Branch ...
, part of the Arawakan language
Arawakan (''Arahuacan, Maipuran Arawakan, "mainstream" Arawakan, Arawakan proper''), also known as Maipurean (also ''Maipuran, Maipureano, Maipúre''), is a language family that developed among ancient indigenous peoples in South America. Branch ...
family.[
]
Current issues
These people are endangered by corporations that encroach on their land and pollute the rivers from which they obtain their source of food. Many dams have been built or are under construction on the Juruena river that pollute the water and kill many of the fish. Without fish, there is no food for the Enawene Nawe people, as they eat no red meat. Many people believe it is Blairo Maggi
Blairo Borges Maggi (born 29 May 1956) is a Brazilian billionaire businessman, and former governor of the state of Mato Grosso.
Maggi owns the Amaggi Group, a large company that harvests, processes, and exports soybeans, and owns soy termina ...
, a politician and corporation executive, who wants these dams.NGOs
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
like Survival International
Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969, a London based charity that campaigns for the rights of indigenous and/or tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples.
The organisation's campaigns generally focus on tribal peopl ...
. Also, they believe the nearby land is home to many important spirits, but the land is being destroyed by ranchers, who continue to build dams and who have threatened violence if the members of the tribe perform their rites, such as ''Yaokwa'', their ritual for the maintenance of social and cosmic order.
Notes
External links
Survival International Enawene Nawe page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Enawene Nawe
Indigenous peoples in Brazil
Indigenous peoples of the Amazon
Mato Grosso