Kuikuro
Encyclopedia
The Kuikuro are an indigenous ethnic group
from the Mato Grosso
region of Brazil
. Their language, Kuikuro
, is a part of the Karib language family. The Kuikuro have many similarities with other Xingu
tribes. They have a population of 592 in 2010, up from 450 in 2002.
The Kuikuro are likely the descendents of the people who built the settlements known to archaeologists as Kuhikugu
, located at the headwaters of the Xingu River
. The settlements were probably inhabited from around 1,500 years ago to about 400 years ago; after this point the population may have been reduced by diseases introduced by Europe
ans. Stories of Kuhikugu may have inspired the British explorer Percy Fawcett
on his ill-fated expedition looking for the "Lost City of Z
".
, Nahukuá
and Matipu
languages. The Kuikuro language is still used in all aspects of life of the Kuikuros, except with communicating with other tribes. Intermarriage and Increased access to television and trading with the outside world has increased the need for the use of Portuguese
. Tribal leaders and men most often know Portuguese, and it is rarer for women to know it, but this has been changing in recent years. Like all indigenous languages, Kuikuro is a language of oral tradition and is harder to keep alive then other languages in the world today.
, bridges, and entry gates, with bridges and roads having congruent angles to each other. It is estimated that nearly ten thousand Indians lived in the region at the time.
One of the first contact of the Kuikuros with white men was on German Karl Non den Steinen’s 1884 expedition. Steinen is known in Kuikuro narratives as Kalusi, “the first white man to come in peace”. The Kuikuro’s oral history extends back to even before Steinen, to the first white man to visit the Xingu, though these people were not like Steinen and captured and killed Indians and were know as bandeirantes. During contact with the Europeans, many deadly diseases were distributed to the Indians and their numbers dropped dramatically. It is estimated that the population dropped from 3,000 Indians in 1900 to little over 700 Indians by the end of 1940.
The Kuikuros follow Shamans, who serve as religious leaders and healers. The Shamans can also connect with the Itseke, while ordinary people can not. The shamans go through many rituals and initiations to become shamans, and must be in a state of reclusion during these initiations. They can then Diagnose diseases and causes of natural disasters and theft in the village.
Indigenous peoples in Brazil
The Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...
from the Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest in area, located in the western part of the country.Neighboring states are Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest...
region of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Their language, Kuikuro
Kuikuro language
Kuikúro-Kalapálo, Apalakiri, is a Cariban language spoken by the Kuikuro and Kalapalo peoples of Brazil....
, is a part of the Karib language family. The Kuikuro have many similarities with other Xingu
Xingu (people)
Xingui peoples are indigenous peoples of Brazil living near the Xingu River. They have many cultural similarities despite their different ethnologies...
tribes. They have a population of 592 in 2010, up from 450 in 2002.
The Kuikuro are likely the descendents of the people who built the settlements known to archaeologists as Kuhikugu
Kuhikugu
Kuhikugu is an archaeological site located in Brazil, at the headwaters of the Xingu River, in the Amazon Rainforest. The area around Kuhikugu is located in is part of the Xingu National Park today...
, located at the headwaters of the Xingu River
Xingu River
The Xingu River , also called Rio Xingu, is a 1,230-mile long, river in north Brazil; it is a southeast tributary of the Amazon River.-Description and history:...
. The settlements were probably inhabited from around 1,500 years ago to about 400 years ago; after this point the population may have been reduced by diseases introduced by Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
ans. Stories of Kuhikugu may have inspired the British explorer Percy Fawcett
Percy Fawcett
Lt. Colonel Percival Harrison Fawcett was a British artillery officer, archaeologist and South American explorer....
on his ill-fated expedition looking for the "Lost City of Z
Lost City of Z
The Lost City of Z is the name given by Col. Percy Harrison Fawcett, a British surveyor, to a city that he thought existed in the jungle of the Mato Grosso region of Brazil...
".
Language
the Kuikuro language is the Language of the Karib family, one of four dialects from the southern Karib language, the other three being the KalapaloKalapalo
The Kalapalo are one of the seventeen Brazilian indigenous tribes who inhabit the Xingu National Park in the Upper Xingu river region of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. They are also one of the four peoples speaking Cariban languages in the area. They have a population of 569...
, Nahukuá
Nahukuá
The Nahukuá are members of a small, indigenous ethnic group in the upper Xingu River area of Brazil. Their population was 146, as of 2010, making them the smallest group in the region.-History:...
and Matipu
Matipu
The Matipu are an ethnic group close to extinction in Brazil which has a population estimated at about 127 individuals in 2010, they had a population of 40 in the 1995 census. They speak the Matipu language of the Carib family and are mainly of animist faith.They live in the Brazilian state of...
languages. The Kuikuro language is still used in all aspects of life of the Kuikuros, except with communicating with other tribes. Intermarriage and Increased access to television and trading with the outside world has increased the need for the use of 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...
. Tribal leaders and men most often know Portuguese, and it is rarer for women to know it, but this has been changing in recent years. Like all indigenous languages, Kuikuro is a language of oral tradition and is harder to keep alive then other languages in the world today.
History
According to archaeological research, the history of the ancestors of the Kuikuros began around a thousand years ago. According to studies done in the Xingu region, by A.D. 1400 indigenous villages had reached great proportions, with buildings such as PalisadesPalisades
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.Palisade or Palisades also may refer to:-Geology:United States...
, bridges, and entry gates, with bridges and roads having congruent angles to each other. It is estimated that nearly ten thousand Indians lived in the region at the time.
One of the first contact of the Kuikuros with white men was on German Karl Non den Steinen’s 1884 expedition. Steinen is known in Kuikuro narratives as Kalusi, “the first white man to come in peace”. The Kuikuro’s oral history extends back to even before Steinen, to the first white man to visit the Xingu, though these people were not like Steinen and captured and killed Indians and were know as bandeirantes. During contact with the Europeans, many deadly diseases were distributed to the Indians and their numbers dropped dramatically. It is estimated that the population dropped from 3,000 Indians in 1900 to little over 700 Indians by the end of 1940.
Religion
The Kuikuro’s religion is a mixture of Shamanist and Healing beliefs. Their beliefs are based on traditional narratives that tell how and why things exist. They Believe that Giti (Sun) and Alukuma (Moon) created the world, but they also believe in the ancestors of the sun and moon and how they were created. They also Believe in Itseke, beings that live in the waters and in the forest that bring illness and death.The Kuikuros follow Shamans, who serve as religious leaders and healers. The Shamans can also connect with the Itseke, while ordinary people can not. The shamans go through many rituals and initiations to become shamans, and must be in a state of reclusion during these initiations. They can then Diagnose diseases and causes of natural disasters and theft in the village.