Mehinako
Encyclopedia
The Mehinako, Mehinaku, Mehináku, or Meinacos are members of an indigenous group located in the region around the headwaters of the Xingu River
in Brazil
. They speak an Arawakan language and currently reside in area around the Tuatuari and Kurisevo rivers. They have a population of 259 (in 2010).
Like many indigenous tribes, the Mehinako do not keep detailed, accurate historical records going back more than a few generations. As such, it is difficult for anthropologists to know anything about their distant past with real certainty. The oldest known village established by the Mehinako was set up at some time around or before 1850, and was called Yulutakitsi. Because the community no longer exists, however, the exact location of its former site is unknown.
According to the Mehinako, historical villages were located along the Tuatuari river, north of the main Aweti
village. The Mehinako claim their older villages were much larger; which is likely because European explorers had not brought the diseases that indigenous people had no immunity to. These communities were likely abandoned for a variety of reasons, overused soil, intrusion of leaf-cutter ant colonies, and a tribal taboo associated with living in places where many people had died.
In 1884, when the first German
explorers arrived at the Xingu River headwaters and began to document the tribes living there, the Mehinako had two villages and a camping site used only during the dry season. Many anthropologists believe that, at the time, the population of the region may have been more than four times what it is today, and that the villages were likely much larger.
In the 1950s, the Ikpeng
, a separate tribal group, invaded Mehinako territory and drove them from it. During the invasion, the Mehinako chief was called [?] by an arrow. Another tribe, the Yawalapiti, was forced to do the same. This tribal migration forced a political shift in the upper Xingu region.
The Yawalapiti gave the Mehinako one of their houses at a location called Jalapapuh, and Aweti
agreed to divide territory along a trail between their village and the new Mehinako center. For around a decade, the Mehinako built communities around their new cultural center, until an outbreak of flu and measles killed around 15 people in the 1960s. After that, the Mehinako relocated to a nearby area. The Mehinako moved again in 1981, but did not go far from their original community. The proximity of a post where they could receive medical care gave them little incentive to relocate to their ancestral homeland, although the risks from the Ikpeng were gone by that time.
The Mehinako have no provision for privacy in their social arrangements, and live with a striking degree of transparency. Huts that house families of ten or twelve people have no internal walls, and are situated around an open area that is in constant view. On the rare occasions when members of the group are out of sight, their activities can be inferred by their curious fellow villagers, who are able to recognize (and draw from memory) each other's footprints. Gregor sums up the situation by writing: "Each individual's whereabouts and activities are generally known to his relatives and often to the community as a whole. A Mehinaku has little chance of staying out of the public eye for any length of time."
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:...
in 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...
. They speak an Arawakan language and currently reside in area around the Tuatuari and Kurisevo rivers. They have a population of 259 (in 2010).
Like many indigenous tribes, the Mehinako do not keep detailed, accurate historical records going back more than a few generations. As such, it is difficult for anthropologists to know anything about their distant past with real certainty. The oldest known village established by the Mehinako was set up at some time around or before 1850, and was called Yulutakitsi. Because the community no longer exists, however, the exact location of its former site is unknown.
According to the Mehinako, historical villages were located along the Tuatuari river, north of the main Aweti
Aweti
The Aweti people are a group of Native Americans living in the Xingu Indigenous Park, close to the headwaters of the Xingu River in Brazil. The Aweti inhabit two villages in the region. One is called Tazu’jyretam, and the other is unnamed. Tazu’jyretam is the main village of the Aweti people,...
village. The Mehinako claim their older villages were much larger; which is likely because European explorers had not brought the diseases that indigenous people had no immunity to. These communities were likely abandoned for a variety of reasons, overused soil, intrusion of leaf-cutter ant colonies, and a tribal taboo associated with living in places where many people had died.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
explorers arrived at the Xingu River headwaters and began to document the tribes living there, the Mehinako had two villages and a camping site used only during the dry season. Many anthropologists believe that, at the time, the population of the region may have been more than four times what it is today, and that the villages were likely much larger.
In the 1950s, the Ikpeng
Ikpeng
The Ikpeng are a Carib-speaking tribe located near the Upper Xingu River. They have a population of 459 , up from a low of 50 in 1969.-History:...
, a separate tribal group, invaded Mehinako territory and drove them from it. During the invasion, the Mehinako chief was called [?] by an arrow. Another tribe, the Yawalapiti, was forced to do the same. This tribal migration forced a political shift in the upper Xingu region.
The Yawalapiti gave the Mehinako one of their houses at a location called Jalapapuh, and Aweti
Aweti
The Aweti people are a group of Native Americans living in the Xingu Indigenous Park, close to the headwaters of the Xingu River in Brazil. The Aweti inhabit two villages in the region. One is called Tazu’jyretam, and the other is unnamed. Tazu’jyretam is the main village of the Aweti people,...
agreed to divide territory along a trail between their village and the new Mehinako center. For around a decade, the Mehinako built communities around their new cultural center, until an outbreak of flu and measles killed around 15 people in the 1960s. After that, the Mehinako relocated to a nearby area. The Mehinako moved again in 1981, but did not go far from their original community. The proximity of a post where they could receive medical care gave them little incentive to relocate to their ancestral homeland, although the risks from the Ikpeng were gone by that time.
The Mehinako have no provision for privacy in their social arrangements, and live with a striking degree of transparency. Huts that house families of ten or twelve people have no internal walls, and are situated around an open area that is in constant view. On the rare occasions when members of the group are out of sight, their activities can be inferred by their curious fellow villagers, who are able to recognize (and draw from memory) each other's footprints. Gregor sums up the situation by writing: "Each individual's whereabouts and activities are generally known to his relatives and often to the community as a whole. A Mehinaku has little chance of staying out of the public eye for any length of time."