Do you know the Indians of the Yanomami tribe? Accustomed as we are to the western way of life and to globalization that allows us to travel to the other side of the world in just a few hours, sometimes we forget that there are still remote areas of the planetin the middle of jungles that are practically impossible to cross, some communities that have had little contact with civilization as we know it.
Among the isolated tribes of the world, we find extraordinary cases such as the Pintupi of Australia or the Sentinelese of the North Sentinel Island, between India and thailand. But Today in Supercurioso we wanted to go into the most remote depths of the Amazon jungle, to introduce you to the Yanomami tribe.
In a humid and jungle environment, full of greenery and fresh water streams, the Yanomami Indians have managed to keep quite a distance from our contact, conserving a large part of their customs and ways of life. Join us to learn a little more about the charming Yanomami people.
The Yanomami tribe, a population in the heart of the Amazon
Talking about the tribes of the world is to immerse ourselves in a universe of mysticism, tradition and culture that is fascinating. In the case of the Yanomami Indians, we find ourselves with a population that integrates the largest relatively isolated indigenous people in South America. On the origin of the Yanomami tribe, It is believed that they migrated about 15,000 years ago, crossing the Bering Strait that connects Asia with America. And from then on, they went down the American continent until they reached the jungle areas that are shared between Brazil and southern Venezuela.
Indeed, the Yanomami Indians occupy what is known as the largest jungle indigenous territory in the world. In Brazil, the Yanomami people extend over 9.6 million hectares. In Venezuela, it covers about 8.2. Unfortunately, activities such as mining, cattle ranching, crime and poor sanitary conditions have reduced the quality of life of the Yanomami.
However, until now they remain the most ancestral owners of an enchanting territory. It is currently believed that The Yanomami tribe, divided into the groups of the Sanumá, the Yanomam and the Yanam, reaches about 38 thousand people. As a curiosity, we tell you that although they have different dialects, they all understand each other. Let’s get to know other aspects of their ways of life.
Yanomami houses
A very interesting aspect of the life of the Yanomami Indians is the shape of their homes. These indigenous people live in community structures that are called “yanos” or “shabonos”. and that make all the members of the tribe share the same roof.
In addition, parties, games and other important rituals in their culture are held in these spaces. They have capacity for about four hundred people. Although the space is somehow common, each family has its own fire where they cook and around which they congregate to spend the night without getting cold.
The work and food of the Yanomamis
Another unique aspect of the Yanomami tribe is their conception of work and food. These indigenous people are great hunters, although the prey they bring home is not the main source of food. The men of the tribe are in charge of this work, and they usually get animals such as deer, monkeys or tapirs on their hunting days. Whoever manages to contribute meat to the community is seen with recognition and respect. Even on this, the Yanomami Indians have a tradition: the hunter never feeds on the meat of the prey he has killed. What he does is share it with his family and those close to him, and wait for another hunter to offer him part of his loot as well.
When they go hunting, the Yanomami use a toxic substance, called “curare”, which they extract from the plant Strychnos toxifera. With it they impregnate the tip of their arrows to hunt. By penetrating the body of the animals, they immobilize them, but do not alter their consciousness or their sensitivity.
Talking about Yanomami women dedicate a good part of their time to agriculture, and it is from their work that the bulk of the tribe’s food comes from. In addition to cultivating more than eighty types of cereals, they are also skilled at harvesting honey, producing up to fifteen different types. Finally, men and women of the Yanomami tribe share fishing, as a common activity that contributes to food.
The customs of the Yanomami Indians
And when it comes to ways of life, among the Yanomami Indians we find truly incredible customs. One of the most curious rituals known to them is the practice of inbred cannibalism as a sacred ritual. It is a collective funeral ceremony in which the ashes of the dead relative are eaten, due to the belief that the vital energy of the deceased resides in the bones and that when ingesting the remains, this force passes to their relatives.
This indigenous population also has a very deep spiritual world. The Yanomami people believe that all creatures and things that are part of nature have a soul or spirit. And that these spirits are not always benevolent, and even some of the evil ones become diseases in the body of men. To avoid these situations and control the evil spirits, the figure of the shamans appears, who are the spiritual guides of the Yanomami tribe. The shamans are in charge of controlling the malevolent spirits, inhaling a hallucinogenic powder called yakoana.
The clothing of the Yanomami Indians
The Yanomami Indians believe that the use of clothing is unnecessary. And it is precisely for this reason that his clothing is extremely simple and reduced to a minimum expression. They are usually naked, and some cover their genitals with cotton guayucos. They paint their bodies with vegetable dyes, and as ornaments they wear necklaces, earrings, and feathers tied to their heads or arms. Women adorn their bodies by piercing the nasal septum, earlobes, and corners of their lips with a small stick, placing flowers, leaves, or bamboo sticks. All the members of the Yanomami tribe cut their hair in a rounded shape and shave the upper part of the skull. Scars are also an important issue for this town, as they are considered a symbol of courage and maturity.
The lives of Yanomami women
In the life of the Yanomami Indians, women have a special role. They are generally the ones who raise the children, and their arrival at puberty and passage into adulthood is experienced with a series of special rituals. The arrival of menstruation, which usually reaches the girls and boys of this tribe, between the ages of 12 and 15, means that they can now marry, or consummate their marriage, since it is possible that the girls have already been married previously, at show signs of development. This tribe considers that menstrual blood is dangerous, so when a young woman begins to have her period, she is confined to a small tent with a hole dugwhere women let their period spill.
During the first week of menstruation, they are not only isolated, but they must remain silent, expressing themselves to the minimum necessary and in whispers. They are fed with a stick so they don’t touch the food and can only communicate with their sisters and mother. Contact of any kind with males is strictly prohibited. It should be said that since pregnancy and child-rearing are constant among the women of the Yanomami tribe, menstruation is not something that happens too often once they reach sexual maturity.
And you, Have you heard about the Yanomami Indians? Well, it is one of the richest indigenous groups in culture and ancestral traditions., and it is well worth it that modernity does not intervene in their ways of life, helping them to preserve themselves. If you are interested in knowing a little more about the fantastic natural environment in which the Yanomami tribe lives, do not miss this tour of the best of the Amazon jungle.
In addition to the Yanomami Indians, other tribes that you should know: