Emerillon
Encyclopedia
Emerillon are a Tupi–Guarani-speaking people in French Guiana
living on the banks of the Camopi
and Tampok rivers. Their subsistence is based on horticulture
, hunting
and bow- and arrow-fishing
. As of 2001 they numbered about 400 individuals.
. Their villages, usually located at a distance from the rivers for protective the from raids, were moved frequently due to soil exhaustion, warfare, and several costumary reasons, like the death if an inhabitant. Internal warfare was common and the members of the tribe practiced cannibalism
as a means of revenge.
The Emerillons' first contact with the Europeans occurred in the 18th century, when they numbered just about as many individuals as now. They were harassed by the Galibi Indians who captured women and children and sold them as slaves in Surinam. By the 19th century internal and intertribal warfare had weaken the Emerillon to the point of being collective slaves to the Oyampik
. This, along with the epidemics brought in by the gold prospectors greatly reduced their numbers, making them more susceptible to acculturalisation. By the late 60s, when the prospectors left the area, the Emerillon were apathetic, in a poor state of health, and consuming large quantities of rum which the prospectors supplied them in exchange of manioc flour.
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
living on the banks of the Camopi
Camopi
Camopi is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. With a land area of , it is the third-largest commune of France....
and Tampok rivers. Their subsistence is based on horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
, hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
and bow- and arrow-fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
. As of 2001 they numbered about 400 individuals.
History
More nomadic than the other tribes of the area, the Emerillon remained within the surroundings of the Maroni RiverMaroni River
The Maroni or Marowijne is a river in South America. It originates in the Tumuk Humak Mountains and forms the border between French Guiana and Suriname...
. Their villages, usually located at a distance from the rivers for protective the from raids, were moved frequently due to soil exhaustion, warfare, and several costumary reasons, like the death if an inhabitant. Internal warfare was common and the members of the tribe practiced cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
as a means of revenge.
The Emerillons' first contact with the Europeans occurred in the 18th century, when they numbered just about as many individuals as now. They were harassed by the Galibi Indians who captured women and children and sold them as slaves in Surinam. By the 19th century internal and intertribal warfare had weaken the Emerillon to the point of being collective slaves to the Oyampik
Wayampi
The Wayampi are a Tupi–Guarani-speaking group located in the south-eastern border area of French Guiana at the confluence of Camopi and Oyapock rivers, and the basins of the Amapari and Carapanatuba Rivers in the central part of Amapá state, Brazil...
. This, along with the epidemics brought in by the gold prospectors greatly reduced their numbers, making them more susceptible to acculturalisation. By the late 60s, when the prospectors left the area, the Emerillon were apathetic, in a poor state of health, and consuming large quantities of rum which the prospectors supplied them in exchange of manioc flour.