Matsés
Encyclopedia
The Matsés or Mayoruna are an indigenous tribe
of the Peru
vian and Brazil
ian Amazon
. The tribe's ancestral lands are currently threatened by illegal logging
practices and poaching
. These homelands are located between the Javari and Galvez rivers. The Matsés have guarded their lands from both other indigenous tribes and outsider colonials.
The approximately 3,200 Matsés people speak the Matsés language
which belongs to the Panoan language family
. In the last thirty years, they have become a largely settled people living mostly in permanent forest settlements. However, they still rely on hunting and gathering for most of their subsistence. Their main source of income comes from selling peccary hides and meat.
The Movement in the Amazon for Tribal Subsistence and Economic Sustainability (MATSES) is an indigenous peoples rights organization that is working for the cultural survival of Matsés People. The founder of MATSES is Dan James Pantone
. At present, no outside aid is being provided for the Matsés people by the Peruvian government and many Matsés are dying from preventable diseases such as hepatitis and malaria. The non-profit organization, MATSES, successfully negotiated with the Peruvian government recently to conduct a medical survey of the Matses people under the ASIS (Análisis de Situación de Salud) program; but according to Dr. Pantone, it is difficult for health care providers to reach their indigenous territory due to their isolated location on the Brazilian-Peruvian border.
(Runa Simi) language and means "river people." In Brazil the Matsés people are generally referred to as Mayorunas, while in Peru they are usually called Matsés.
and spirits are present throughout the world. The Matsés believe that animal spirits determine health and success in hunting. They are careful not to offend animal spirits and have many taboos for hunting different animal species.
Plants, especially trees, hold a complex and important interest for the Matsés. Each plant is associated with an animal spirit. When a plant product is used as a medicine, it is typically applied externally and the shaman talks to the animal spirit associated with that plant.
. Historically, they used blowguns, similar to the Matis tribe of Brazil; however, they recently abandoned blowguns in favor of bows and arrows.
. Cross-cousin marriages are most common. Marriages are primarily between cousins, with a man marrying the daughter of his father’s sister (his aunt).
missionaries into their communities. Before that date, they were in effect at warfare with the Peruvian government which had bombed their villages with napalm and sent the Peruvian army to invade their communities. Dan James Pantone and Bjorn Svensson wrote an article about how the Matsés made peaceful contact with the outside world in the Native Planet Journal called "Matsés First Contact: The End of Isolation" http://www.nativeplanet.org/newsletter/index.pdf. At present, relations between the Matsés people and the Peruvian government are very peaceful.
Quarterly by Dan James Pantone, living conditions have gotten much worse, to the point that the very survival of the Matsés people is in jeopardy http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/dan-james-pantone/forest-their-own. At present, there is a proposal to expand the Matsés Communal Reserve to give the Matsés people control over their traditional hunting grounds.
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
of the Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian and 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...
ian Amazon
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
. The tribe's ancestral lands are currently threatened by illegal logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
practices and poaching
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
. These homelands are located between the Javari and Galvez rivers. The Matsés have guarded their lands from both other indigenous tribes and outsider colonials.
The approximately 3,200 Matsés people speak the Matsés language
Matsés language
The Matsés language is an indigenous language of the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon basin which belongs to the Panoan language family and is spoken by ca. 2000 Matsés people . The language is vigorous and is spoken by all age groups in the Matsés communities...
which belongs to the Panoan language family
Language family
A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestor, called the proto-language of that family. The term 'family' comes from the tree model of language origination in historical linguistics, which makes use of a metaphor comparing languages to people in a...
. In the last thirty years, they have become a largely settled people living mostly in permanent forest settlements. However, they still rely on hunting and gathering for most of their subsistence. Their main source of income comes from selling peccary hides and meat.
The Movement in the Amazon for Tribal Subsistence and Economic Sustainability (MATSES) is an indigenous peoples rights organization that is working for the cultural survival of Matsés People. The founder of MATSES is Dan James Pantone
Dan James Pantone
Dan James Pantone is an American ecologist and conservationist with a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis. A former professor at Texas A&M University, Dr. Pantone is a researcher who has published numerous refereed articles on agroecology and sustainable agriculture...
. At present, no outside aid is being provided for the Matsés people by the Peruvian government and many Matsés are dying from preventable diseases such as hepatitis and malaria. The non-profit organization, MATSES, successfully negotiated with the Peruvian government recently to conduct a medical survey of the Matses people under the ASIS (Análisis de Situación de Salud) program; but according to Dr. Pantone, it is difficult for health care providers to reach their indigenous territory due to their isolated location on the Brazilian-Peruvian border.
Name
The word Matsés comes from the word for 'people' in the Matsés language. They are also known as the "Mayoruna". The name Mayoruna comes from the QuechuaQuechua languages
Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...
(Runa Simi) language and means "river people." In Brazil the Matsés people are generally referred to as Mayorunas, while in Peru they are usually called Matsés.
Technology
The Matses have an elaborate knowledge of the plant and animal life of the surrounding rainforest. Little is imported into the Matsés communities and most of what they need for survival comes from the rainforest. They still use bows and arrows to hunt animals.Worldview
In the animist Matsés worldview, there is no distinction between the physical and spiritual worldsSpirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
and spirits are present throughout the world. The Matsés believe that animal spirits determine health and success in hunting. They are careful not to offend animal spirits and have many taboos for hunting different animal species.
Plants, especially trees, hold a complex and important interest for the Matsés. Each plant is associated with an animal spirit. When a plant product is used as a medicine, it is typically applied externally and the shaman talks to the animal spirit associated with that plant.
Weapons
Bows and Arrows are the main weapons of the Matsés culture, although they are currently rarely used in personal conflict. Generally they are only used for hunting animals. The Matsés were never known to use war clubs as do the neighboring KoruboKorubo
Korubo or Korubu is the name given to a tribe of indigenous people living in the Javari Valley, in the Western Amazon Basin. The group calls themselves 'Dslala', and in Portuguese they are referred to as caceteiros...
. Historically, they used blowguns, similar to the Matis tribe of Brazil; however, they recently abandoned blowguns in favor of bows and arrows.
Marriage
Matsés families often practice polygamyPolygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
. Cross-cousin marriages are most common. Marriages are primarily between cousins, with a man marrying the daughter of his father’s sister (his aunt).
Recent history
The Matsés made their first permanent contact with the outside world in 1969 when they accepted SILSIL International
SIL International is a U.S.-based, worldwide, Christian non-profit organization, whose main purpose is to study, develop and document languages, especially those that are lesser-known, in order to expand linguistic knowledge, promote literacy, translate the Christian Bible into local languages,...
missionaries into their communities. Before that date, they were in effect at warfare with the Peruvian government which had bombed their villages with napalm and sent the Peruvian army to invade their communities. Dan James Pantone and Bjorn Svensson wrote an article about how the Matsés made peaceful contact with the outside world in the Native Planet Journal called "Matsés First Contact: The End of Isolation" http://www.nativeplanet.org/newsletter/index.pdf. At present, relations between the Matsés people and the Peruvian government are very peaceful.
Indigenous political reorganization
The Matsés are very divided and politically unorganized. Each village has its own chief and there is little centralized authority for the tribe. Lack of political organization has made it difficult for the Matsés people to obtain medical assistance from the outside world.Land rights
The Matsés have title to the Matsés Indigenous Reserve that was established in 1998. The reserve measures 457000 ha. Despite having title to their own reserve, living conditions for the Matsés have deteriorated. According to a recent article in Cultural SurvivalCultural Survival
Cultural Survival is a nonprofit group based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA which is dedicated to defending the human rights of indigenous peoples. Their stated mandate is to promote the rights, voices and visions, of indigenous people. For 37 years, Cultural Survival has partnered with...
Quarterly by Dan James Pantone, living conditions have gotten much worse, to the point that the very survival of the Matsés people is in jeopardy http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/dan-james-pantone/forest-their-own. At present, there is a proposal to expand the Matsés Communal Reserve to give the Matsés people control over their traditional hunting grounds.