Find your way: Indigenous peoples in Brazil> Who, where, how many> Encyclopedia >
KALAPALO   
Youth participating in Egitsu (Kwarup) in Kalapalo village.
Photo: Beto Ricardo, 2002
 

Where they live:
Indigenous Park of the Xingu

How many people:
417 (in 2002)

Language:
Kalapalo (Karib linguistic family)

Village life among the Kalapalo – one of the Karib-speaking groups in the Upper Xingu region – varies according to the seasons. During the dry season, which lasts from May to September, food is abundant and public rituals take place, which usually involve a great deal of music and the participation of members from other villages. During the rainy season, food becomes scarce and village relations are confined to those between households and relatives. In the multiethnic context of the Indigenous Park of the Xingu, the Kalapalo have played a prominent role in actively patrolling its borders, preventing the invasion of neighboring cattle ranchers.

 

Ellen Basso
anthropologist, University of Arizona (EUA)
ebasso@u.arizona.edu
June 2002

    Back to top
Print
Untitled Document
Who, where, how many| How they live| Languages | Indigenous organizations| The Indians and us | Rights | Sources| e-mail
© Instituto Socioambiental.
Express written permission from the Instituto Socioambiental is required for the reproduction of any part of this site.
Reproduction of photos and illustrations is prohibited.