The Zoró (autonym: ''Pangyjej'') are an

indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

native to the states of

Mato Grosso Mato Grosso ( – ) is one of the states of Brazil, the List of Brazilian states by area, third largest by area, located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible ...

and

Rondônia Rondônia () is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northern subdivision of the country (central-western part). It is bordered by Acre (state), Acre in the west, Amazonas, Brazil, Amazonas in the north, Mato Grosso in the east, and Bo ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. Their population was around 787 in 2020.

Etymology

The name Zoró originates from the word ''monshoro'' (dry head), which is a derogatory term in the

Surui language Suruí (of Jiparaná), also known as Paíter or Suruí-Paíter, is a Tupian language of Brazil. The Suruí of Rondônia call themselves Paiter The Paiter, also known as Suruí, Suruí do Jiparaná, and Suruí de Rondônia, are an indigenous ...

, whose speakers were neighboring enemies of the Zoró. The word ''monshoro'' was shortened to ''shoro'' and then, over time, to ''zoró''.

Demographics

Language

The Zoró speak the Zoró language, which

Ethnologue ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'' is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensive catalogue of languages. It w ...

considers a dialect of the Gavião of Jiparaná language, a

Tupian language The Tupi or Tupian language family comprises some 70 languages spoken in South America, of which the best known are Tupi proper and Guarani. Homeland and ''urheimat'' Rodrigues (2007) considers the Proto-Tupian urheimat to be somewhere between ...

of the Monde branch. However, their dialect is sometimes considered a separate language because it is mutually unintelligible with the other dialects of the Gavião of Jiparaná language.

Economy

Traditionally, the

economy An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

of the Zoró was based on

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

, and

gathering Gather, gatherer, or gathering may refer to: Anthropology and sociology *Hunter-gatherer, a person or a society whose subsistence depends on hunting and gathering of wild foods * Intensive gathering, the practice of cultivating wild plants as a s ...

. In the 1980s, they sold handicrafts or worked in rubber extraction. In the 1990s, the main economy of the Zoró became the

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

trade. With the income from this activity, they started buying

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

and

vehicles A vehicle () is a machine designed for self-propulsion, usually to transport people, cargo, or both. The term "vehicle" typically refers to land vehicles such as human-powered vehicles (e.g. bicycles, tricycles, velomobiles), animal-powered tr ...

, opening roads, and building houses in the villages. Currently, some villages have agreements with regional

ranchers A ranch (from /Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often applied to li ...

, where they authorize cattle grazing on their lands and, in exchange, the rancher makes annual payments with calves and provides training for Zoró cowboys. There is also a partnership with

Funai is a Japanese consumer electronics company headquartered in Daitō, Osaka. Currently, it is in liquidation. Apart from producing its own branded electronic products, it was also an OEM providing assembled televisions and video players/recor ...

through the ''Artindia'' or ''Programa de Artesanato Indígena da Funai'' (Funai Indigenous Handicraft Program), where Zoró women can earn an income from regular handicraft sales. Additionally, there is the collection and trade of

Brazil nuts The Brazil nut (''Bertholletia excelsa'') is a South American tree in the family Lecythidaceae, and it is also the name of the tree's commercially harvested edible seeds. It is one of the largest and longest-lived trees in the Amazon rainforest. ...

, which involves almost all Zoró villages through the ''PIC'' or ''Programa Integrado da Castanha'' (Integrated Brazil nut program). The Zoró Indigenous People's Association has partnered with ''Coopavam'' or ''Cooperativa dos Agricultores do Vale do Amanhecer'' (Cooperative of Farmers from the Vale do Amanhecer), which is responsible for the logistics and distribution of the nuts.

References

{{authority control Ethnic groups in Brazil Indigenous peoples in Brazil Mato Grosso