What method of agriculture do the Kayapo use?

What method of agriculture do the Kayapo use?

‘Slash and burn ‘ agriculture is a subsistence farming system practised by the Kayapo Amerindians in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. A small area of land (approx. 1 hectare) is cleared using stone axes and machetes .

What are the Kayapo known for?

fierce warriors
The Kayapos resisted assimilation and were known traditionally as fierce warriors, raiding enemy tribes and sometimes fighting among themselves. Their first steady contact with Europeans did not occur until the 20th century, in the 1950s.

What do the Kayapo tribe believe in?

The Kayapo believe their ancestors learnt how to live communally from social insects such as bees, which is why mothers and children paint each other’s bodies with patterns that look like animal or insect markings, including those of bees.

What are the Kayapo tribe traditions?

The Kayapos believe that at death a person goes to the village of the dead, where people sleep during the day and hunt at night. There, old people become younger and children become older. In that village in the afterlife, Kayapos believe they have their own traditional assembly building.

How does the Kayapo hunt?

to hunt small animals like fish, birds and monkeys. To hunt fish they shake a plant in the water which is poisonous to fish, it makes them float to the surface of the water then they will spear them.

What resources affect Kayapo culture?

Since the early 1980s, several Kayapó communities have acquired considerable wealth by allowing outsiders to exploit their natural resources (especially gold and timber) and receiving a portion of the proceeds.

What body modification signifies status among the Kayapo?

The Kayapo use intricate black body paint covering their entire bodies. They believe that their ancestors learned their social skills from insects, so they paint their bodies to mimic them and to better communicate with the Spirit that exists everywhere.

What do Kayapo call themselves?

Mebengokre
The Kayapo also call themselves “Mebengokre,” which means “people of the wellspring.” The Kayapo live in part of the Amazon rainforest. The Kayapo grow vegetables, eat wild fruits and Brazil nuts, and hunt fish, monkey, and turtle to eat. They use over 650 plants in the rainforest for medicine.

What threats do the Kayapo tribe face?

Kayapo have fiercely protected their vast territory but face increased pressure from illegal incursions for goldmining, logging, commercial fishing, and ranching.

What happened to the Kayapó?

Under pressure from local political figures, the government decided in the 1950s and 1960s to send several teams led by specialists with the remit to pacify these ‘savages.’ The threatened approach by government officials once more led to discord, and the Kayapó divided again into small communities.

What is slash and burn agriculture and how does it work?

Slash and burn agriculture is the process of cutting down the vegetation in a particular plot of land, setting fire to the remaining foliage, and using the ashes to provide nutrients to the soil for the use of planting food crops. The cleared area following slash and burn,…

What do the Kayapó people call themselves?

The people do not call themselves by this term, a name coined by neighbouring groups and meaning “those who look like monkeys”, which probably derives from a ritual lasting many weeks during which Kayapó men, adorned with monkey masks, execute short dances.

Why are the Kayapos known as the most aggressive Indians in Brazil?

They very quickly became known for their aggression, and the inhabitants of Brazil’s hinterland started to classify them among the most bellicose Indians in Amazonia. As an outcome of their frequent and repeated attacks, few people dared to approach the Kayapó territory.