The Sanumá, also referred to as ''Sanema, Sanima Tsanuma, Guaika, Samatari, Samatali, Xamatari'' and ''Chirichano'' in the literature, 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
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
. They are related to the
Yanomami
The Yanomami, also spelled Yąnomamö or Yanomama, are a group of approximately 35,000 indigenous people who live in some 200–250 villages in the Amazon rainforest on the border between Venezuela and Brazil.
Etymology
The ethnonym ''Yanomami' ...
. They number about 1500 and live on both sides of the border. In Venezuela, they are found in the
Caura River and
Ventuari River
The Ventuari River is the largest tributary of the Orinoco in southern Venezuela. The Ventuari flows from south-central Venezuela in the Guiana Highlands southwest into the Orinoco River. It is long and its major tributary is the Manapiare River ...
basins where they live alongside the
Ye'kuana. The
Sanumá language
Sanumá or ''Sanöma'' is a Yanomaman language spoken in Venezuela and Brazil. It is also known as ''Sanema, Sanima, Tsanuma, Guaika, Samatari, Samatali, Xamatari'' and ''Chirichano''. Most of its speakers in Venezuela also speak Ye'kuana, als ...
is a
Yanomam
Yanomaman, also as Yanomam, Yanomáman, Yamomámi, and Yanomamana (also Shamatari, Shirianan), is a family of languages spoken by about 20,000 Yanomami people in southern Venezuela and northwestern Brazil ( Roraima, Amazonas).
Subdivision
...
language.
Conflicts with miners
On 24 October 2006, their reserve in Venezuela was invaded by miners who destroyed some of their villages. In retaliation, the Venezuelan army killed 10 miners. This incident led to mass protests by non-Indians in Southern Venezuela.
Further reading
*Bruce Parry,''Tribe: Adventures in a Changing World'' (Michael Joseph Raped Ltd, 2007)
*Amy Penfield, ''Predatory Economies: The Sanema and the Socialist State in Contemporary Amazonia'' (University of Texas Press, 2023)
*Alcida Ramos, ''Sanuma Memories: Yanomami Ethnography in Times of Crisis '' (University of Wisconsin Press, 1995)
External links
Indigenous Peoples of Brazil – YanomamiBBC: Sanema Tribe
Ethnic groups in Brazil
Indigenous peoples in Brazil
Indigenous peoples in Venezuela
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