The Nambikwara (also called Nambikuára) is 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 ...

, living in the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

. Currently about 1,200 Nambikwara live in indigenous territories in the Brazilian state of

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 ...

along the Guaporé and

Juruena Juruena is a municipality in the state of Mato Grosso in the Central-West Region of Brazil. The city is served by Juruena Airport. See also *List of municipalities in Mato Grosso *Sepotuba River The Sepotuba River is a river in the state of M ...

rivers. Their villages are accessible from the Pan-American highway.

Name

The Nambikwara are also known as the Alaketesu, Anunsu, Nambikuára, or Nambiquara people. "."'' The term Nambikwara is an exonym originating from the Tupi language family. Its literal meaning is 'pierced ear,' from the words ''nambi,'' "ear," and ''kûara,'' "hole."

Language

The Nambikwara speak the Southern Nambikuára language, which is a Nambiquaran language. A dictionary and grammar have been written for the language, which is written in the

Latin script The Latin script, also known as Roman script, is an alphabetic writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae, in southern Italy ...

History

The Nambikwara were first contacted in but did not experience prolonged contact with Europeans until the early 20th century, when Brazilian army official Marechal

Cândido Rondon Marshal Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon (5 May 1865 – 19 January 1958) was a Brazilian military officer most famous for his telegraph commission and exploration of Mato Grosso and the Western Amazon Basin, as well as his lifelong support f ...

passed through Nambikwara territory to extend the telegraph lines. He estimated that there were around 10,000 Nambikwara. Shortly after contact with European Brazilians

epidemic An epidemic (from Ancient Greek, Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics ...

s of

measles Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...

and smallpox decimated the population to only 500 around 1930. The culture of the Nambikwara was the subject of studies by

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...

Claude Lévi-Strauss Claude Lévi-Strauss (, ; 28 November 1908 – 30 October 2009) was a French anthropologist and ethnologist whose work was key in the development of the theories of structuralism and structural anthropology. He held the chair of Social Anthro ...

, which were later analyzed by French philosopher

Jacques Derrida Jacques Derrida (; ; born Jackie Élie Derrida; See also . 15 July 1930 – 9 October 2004) was an Algerian-born French philosopher. He developed the philosophy of deconstruction, which he utilized in numerous texts, and which was developed t ...

in his work ''Of Grammatology''.

Bands and subgroups

The Nambikuara Nation is composed of many smaller bands which each have their own name. * Nambikwara do Sararé ** Kabixi do Mato Grosso * Nambikwara do Campo of Mato Grosso — Rondônia ** Halotesu ** Hithaulu ** Sawentesu ** Wakalitesu * Nambikwara do Norte of Rondônia — Mato Grosso ** Lakondê **

Latundê The Latundê, also known as the Leitodu, are an indigenous peoples of Brazil. They live in the Aikaná-Latundê Indigenous Reserve in the southern Rondônia in the southwestern Amazon. They share the indigenous territory with the Kwaza and Aik ...

, A.I. Tubarão-Latunde. ** Mamaindê, A.I. Pirineus de Souza, and A.I. Vale do Guaporé ** Nambikwara ** Manduka, A.I. Pirineus de Souza ** Negarotê, A.I. Vale do Guaporé ** Tagnani ** Tamaindé ** Tawandê ** Tawitê or Tauite. * Nambikwara do Sul of Mato Grosso ** Alaketesu ** Alantesu ** Galera ** Hahaintesu, A.I. Vale do Guaporé ** Kabixi ** Munduka ** Waikisu, A.I. Vale do Guaporé ** Wasusu, A.I. Vale do Guaporé * Sabanê ** Sabanê, A.I. Pirineus de Souza

Notes

References

* * *

External links

Nambikuára artwork

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nambikwara People Ethnic groups in Brazil Indigenous peoples in Brazil Indigenous peoples of the Amazon