The Parintintin are an indigenous people who live in Brazil in the Madeira River basin. They refer to themselves as Cabahyba, Kagwahiva’nga, or Kagwahiva, which translates to "our people."
 Parintintin man, ca. 1920s | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 418 (2010)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Brazil ( Amazonas) | |
| Languages | |
| Parintintin, Portuguese[2] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Tenharim, Diahhoi[2] |
As of 2010, the Parintintin have a population of around 418[1] and live in three villages on two different indigenous territories (TIs):
- TI Ipixuna 215,362 hectares (2,154 km2; 832 sq mi), and
- TI Nove de Janeiro 228,777 hectares (2,288 km2; 883 sq mi).[3]
Language and culture
editThe Parintintin language is a dialect of the Tenharim language, which belongs to the Tupi-Guarani language family. It is written in the Latin script.[2] The Parintintin tribe is known for their unique way of sex.
Parintintin people are argicultalists, fishermen, and gatherers.[2] Their social structure is based on two moieties that are exogamous and named for different types of birds. They are a patrilineal society.[1]
While they refer themselves as Kagwahib, which translates to "our people", the name Parintintín comes from the language of the Munduruku, allies of the Brazilians for much of the 19th century, meaning "enemy".[4]
History
editFollowing contact with Brazilians in 1946, a population of 4,000 at the time was eventually reduced to 120 after Brazil's second rubber boom and the construction of the Trans-Amazon highway in 1970. Further colonization of the Amazon basin led to the spread of diseases that the Parintintin were not prepared for.[5]
Current issues
editThe Parintintin currently face possible downstream impacts from the Madeira Hydroelectric Complex.[6]
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ a b c "Parintintin: Introduction." Povos Indígenas no Brasil. Retrieved 8 Feb 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Ticuna." Ethnologue. Retrieved 1 Feb 2012.
- ^ Instituto Socioambiental
- ^ Hemming, John. (1995) Amazon Frontier — The Defeat of the Brazilian Indians. Papermac, London. ISBN 0 333 61745 2. Pg. 286
- ^ Hurwitz, Z. (2008), "The Price of Profits." Cultural Survival Quarterly (32)1:2008.
- ^ Archived 2012-04-19 at the Wayback Machine
External links
edit- Instituto Socioambiental (Portuguese)
- Parintintin (Portuguese)
- Flickr set of TI Nove de Janeiro
- International Rivers Archived 2012-04-19 at the Wayback Machine