The Pai Tavytera are an

indigenous people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

of Paraguay and Brazil. They primarily live in

Amambay Department Amambay () is a department in Paraguay. The capital is Pedro Juan Caballero. The name comes from the name of a part of the Caaguazú Cordillera, " Amambai Mountains". Amambay is the name of a fern, typical of the forest in the region. Distric ...

in Paraguay and the Brazilian state of

Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul () is one of the Midwestern states of Brazil. Neighboring Brazilian states are (from north clockwise) Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay, to the southwest, and ...

Name

The Pai Tavytera are also known as the Ava, Caaguá, Caingua, Caiwá, Kaa'wa, Kainguá, Kaiowá, Kaiwá, Kayova, Montese, Paï, Paï-Cayuä, Paï-Tavyterä, Paingua, Pan, and Tavytera people. "Paï-Tavytera" is an arbitrary name given to northern Guaraní people of eastern Paraguay. They are closely related to the Guarani-Kaiowá people of Brazil.

Language

The Pai Tavytera speak the

Pai Tavytera language Pãi Tavyterã is a Guarani language spoken by about 600 Pai Tavytera people in eastern Paraguay, in Amambay, eastern Concepción, eastern San Pedro, and northern Canindeyú Departments. The language has 70% lexical similarity with the Kaiw� ...

, which is a Tupi-Guarani language, division Guarani I. The tribe is rapidly adopting the more mainstream Guarani language."Pai Tavytera."
''Ethnologue.'' Retrieved 17 Jan 2013.

History

The Pai Tavytera are mostly likely the descendants of the Itatin Guaraní. They encountered Jesuit missionaries in the 17th century during the

reducciones Reductions ( es, reducciones, also called ; , pl. ) were settlements created by Spanish rulers and Roman Catholic missionaries in Spanish America and the Spanish East Indies (the Philippines). In Portuguese-speaking Latin America, such red ...

of eastern Paraguay. Many of them resisted assimilation. Following the violent

War of the Triple Alliance The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It was the deadlies ...

in the 1870s, their lands were left alone, except for lumberers and harvesters of

yerba mate Yerba mate or yerba-maté (''Ilex paraguariensis''; from Spanish ; pt, erva-mate, or ; gn, ka'a, ) is a plant species of the holly genus ''Ilex'' native to South America. It was named by the French botanist Augustin Saint-Hilaire. The leav ...

. In recent years, an influx of settlers have disrupted the Pai Tavyter's hunting lifestyle.

Altar

The wood altar is the central institution in the religious beliefs of the Pai Tavytera. The altar, called ''mba’e marangatu'' in Guaraní is considered a sacred sanctuary and a focal point of the community. The altars usually resides in the homes of the spiritual leaders of the Pai Tavytera Indians or important leaders. The altar is a place where the community gathers around for worship or to discuss matters that are important to the community. Altars include wooden rods that represents deities or saints. From those rods hangs a gourd used for baptizing children, and the

medicine man A medicine man or medicine woman is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of Indigenous people of the Americas. Individual cultures have their own names, in their respective languages, for spiritual healers and cere ...

's gourd rattle, the most important item for the spiritual healer to start his prayer that is a song and a dance to communicate with the spirits. Part of the altar is a taquara bamboo staff, a woman's musical instrument that gives rhythm to the rituals.

Agriculture

In the

sub-tropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 35° north an ...

environment of eastern Paraguay, Pai Tavyter practice

swidden Slash-and-burn agriculture is a farming method that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody plants in an area. The downed veg ...

agriculture. Their primary crop is maize, supplemented with

manioc ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...

. They also cultivate

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is nativ ...

trees, bananas, cotton, pineapples, rice, soybeans, and medicinal plants. Chickens, pigs, cattle, horses, and donkeys are popular farm animals.

Artwork

Pai Tavytera indian traditional wood carving

Pai Tavytera people are known for making necklaces made from carved wood and colorful seeds of different fruits. They use ''urucú'', a red dye made from ''

Bixa orellana ''Bixa orellana'', also known as achiote, is a shrub native to Central America. ''Bixa orellana'' is grown in many countries worldwide. The tree is best known as the source of annatto, a natural orange-red condiment (also called or ) obtained ...

'' for

body painting Body painting is a form of body art where artwork is painted directly onto the human skin. Unlike tattoos and other forms of body art, body painting is temporary, lasting several hours or sometimes up to a few weeks (in the case of mehndi or " ...

. Cotton and feathers, such as toucan, are used for headdresses.

Labret A labret is a form of body piercing. Taken literally, it is any type of adornment that is attached to the lip (labrum). However, the term usually refers to a piercing that is below the bottom lip, above the chin. It is sometimes referred to as a ...

s are made from resin. Men typically weave baskets, while women make ceramics. The tribe is also being consulted in interpreting ancient rock art in Amambay."The Theme."
''Solar Map Project." Retrieved 20 Jan 2013. A hill, Jasuka Venda is an important cultural site for Pai Tavyera people that has petroglyphs in the "footstep style." Jasuka Venda is where Pai Tavytera oral history says God created the universe.Culture of the Pai Tavytera Indians."
''Solar Map Project." Retrieved 20 Jan 2013.

Notes

External links

"The Guarani Altar: A Donation Tells a Deep Story"
American Indian, Smithsonian {{DEFAULTSORT:Pai Tavytera Indigenous peoples in Brazil Indigenous peoples in Paraguay Indigenous peoples of the Gran Chaco Hunter-gatherers of South America