Dâw people
Encyclopedia
The Dâw people are an indigenous people
of the Amazon Rainforest
. They are living on the right bank of Rio Negro in an area commonly known as Alto Rio Negro. They share this area together with a number of other indigenous peoples, including the other Nadahup people, which they are closely related to, such as the Nadëb, the Nukak
, and the Hup - but also Arawakan peoples
, and Tucanoan peoples
, such as the Barasana
and Tucano
.
The word Dâw is a self-designation, meaning people. In literature, as well as in Alto Rio Negro, they are often referred to as Kamã, but this is considered very pejorative.
During the 1980s the Dâw were close to extinction due to an unbalance between the number of men and women. There were only few women, and many of the women left were old and unable to carry a child. In 1984, the number of Dâw was only 56. Since then the situation has improved considerably, and the Dâw are no longer threatened by extinction in spite of the low population. Today, all Dâw have the Dâw language
as their first language
, while many also speak Nheengatu and Portuguese
.
Today, the Dâw are in a permanent contact with non-indigenous people, mostly in the nearby city, São Gabriel da Cachoeira
.
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
of the Amazon Rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
. They are living on the right bank of Rio Negro in an area commonly known as Alto Rio Negro. They share this area together with a number of other indigenous peoples, including the other Nadahup people, which they are closely related to, such as the Nadëb, the Nukak
Nukak
The Nukak people live between the Guaviare and Inírida rivers, in the depths of the tropical humid forest, on the fringe of the Amazon basin, in Guaviare Department, Republic of Colombia. They are nomadic hunter-gatherers with seasonal nomadic patterns and in addition they practice a shifting...
, and the Hup - but also Arawakan peoples
Arawakan languages
Macro-Arawakan is a proposed language family of South America and the Caribbean based on the Arawakan languages. Sometimes the proposal is called Arawakan, in which case the central family is called Maipurean....
, and Tucanoan peoples
Tucanoan languages
Tucanoan is a language family of Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru.-Family division:There are two dozen Tucanoan languages:*Western Tucanoan**Correguaje **Tama **Macaguaje ...
, such as the Barasana
Barasana
The Barasana are a Tucanoan group located in the eastern part of the Amazon basin, in the Vaupés District in Colombia and Amazonas State in Brazil. As of 2000 there were at least 500 Barasanas in Colombia, though some recent estimates place the figure as high as 1950...
and Tucano
Tucano language
Tucano is a Tucanoan language spoken in Amazonas, Brazil and Colombia.Many speakers of the endangered Tariana language are switching to Tucano.-Bibliography:* Campbell,...
.
The word Dâw is a self-designation, meaning people. In literature, as well as in Alto Rio Negro, they are often referred to as Kamã, but this is considered very pejorative.
During the 1980s the Dâw were close to extinction due to an unbalance between the number of men and women. There were only few women, and many of the women left were old and unable to carry a child. In 1984, the number of Dâw was only 56. Since then the situation has improved considerably, and the Dâw are no longer threatened by extinction in spite of the low population. Today, all Dâw have the Dâw language
Dâw language
Dâw is a Nadahup language spoken in the northwestern part of the Amazonas state of Brazil, in an area commonly known as Alto Rio Negro. The number of speakers is 94, and the language is spoken by the Dâw people, of which most also speak Nheengatu and Portuguese....
as their first language
First language
A first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...
, while many also speak Nheengatu and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
.
Today, the Dâw are in a permanent contact with non-indigenous people, mostly in the nearby city, São Gabriel da Cachoeira
São Gabriel da Cachoeira
São Gabriel da Cachoeira is a city and a Municipality located on the Northern shores of the Rio Negro River, in the region of Cabeça do Cachorro, Amazonas state, Brazil. Between 1952 and 1966, it was officially called Uaupés, after the nearby Vaupés River. Most of its inhabitants are indigenous...
.