The Zo'é people are a native tribe in the State of Pará, Municipality of Óbidos, on the Cuminapanema River,

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 ...

. They are a Tupi–Guarani people.

Name

They are also known as the Poturu, Poturujara, or Buré. The term "Zo'é" means "us," as opposed to non-Indians or enemies. The term "Poturu" is the type of wood used to make the embe'po

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 which they wear.

Language

The Zo'é language belongs to Subgroup VIII of the Tupi-Guarani language family.

Culture

All Zo'é wear the poturu, a wooden plug piercing the bottom lip. The Zo'é have a tradition where new fathers have the backs of their calves cut with the 'tooth of a small rodent'. The marriage rituals of the Zo'é are complex and not fully understood. It is not known how many wives or husbands one is allowed to have. Many women practice polyandry. One or more husbands may be "learning husbands": young men learning how to be good spouses, in exchange for hunting for the rest of the family.

In film

'' The Salt of the Earth'' documents the work of photographer Sebastião Salgado including his photographs of the Zo'é.

Notes

External links