This entry on the Suruí Paiter was elaborated on the basis of a joint effort of the Metareilá (Metareilá Organization of the Paiter Indigenous People), the Kanindé for Ethno-environmental Defense and the anthropologist Betty Mindlin. Each one of the collaborators contributed from their experiences among the Paiter, so that the group would be presented here in the best way possible.

The reference works by Betty Mindlin are her doctoral thesis The Suruí of Rondônia(1984), as well as a later publication We Paiter: The Suruí of Rondônia (1985), which basically consists of a book version of her thesis. The myths that are presented in this entry were taken from the book Vozes da Origem [Voices from the Origin], estórias sem escrita [unwritten stories] (1996) organized by Betty Mindlin along with several Suruí narrators. This book contains a considerable collection of Suruí mythic narratives which cover the most diverse aspects of their culture.

Besides the works by Mindlin there is the noteworthy contribution of the Kanindé (Association for Ethno-environmental Defense) with its project Paiter Ethno-environmental Diagnosis, in which there is a component on participative Agro-environmental Diagnosis. This work consists of research done by this NGO in partnership with the Metareilá organization, and does a survey of the present situation of the indigenous people and the Sete de Setembro Indigenous Land. The data on agronomical projects, the indigenous association movement and the “state of the art” of the institutions were taken from this report.

Besides this report, Paiter leaders have revised and offered their contributions to all parts of this text.