The Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau are an

indigenous people of Brazil Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

,''Last Days of Eden: Rondônia's Urueu-Wau-Wau Indians''
Loren McIntyre, National Geographic (December 1988), pp. 800-817 (retrieved 10 Aug 2016) living in the state of

Rondônia Rondônia () is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northern subdivision of the country (central-western part). It is bordered by Acre (state), Acre in the west, Amazonas, Brazil, Amazonas in the north, Mato Grosso in the east, and Bo ...

. They live in six villages on the borders of the Uru-Eu-Uaw-Uaw Indigenous Territory, which is shared by two other contacted groups, the Amondawa and Uru Pa In, the latter who speak a

Chapacuran The Chapacuran languages are a nearly extinct Native American language family of South America. Almost all Chapacuran languages are extinct, and the four that are extant are moribund, with the exception of Wari'. They are spoken in Rondônia in ...

language, as well as the Jurureí, Parakua, and two

uncontacted tribes Uncontacted peoples are groups of Indigenous peoples living without sustained contact with neighbouring communities and the world community. Groups who decide to remain uncontacted are referred to as indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation. Leg ...

whose names are not known."Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau: Identification and Demography."
''Povos Indígenas no Brasil.'' (retrieved 26 April 2011)

Name

The Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau people call themselves Jupaú. They are also (mistakenly) known as the Amondauas, Bocas-negras, Bocas-pretas, Cabeça-vermelha, Cautários, Sotérios, Urupain, as well as Jupaú, Black-Mouths, Red-Heads, Urueu-Wau-Wau.

History

The Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau came into contact with non-Natives, specifically the

National Indian Foundation National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

(

FUNAI is a Japanese consumer electronics company headquartered in Daitō, Osaka. Currently, it is in liquidation. Apart from producing its own branded electronic products, it was also an OEM providing assembled televisions and video players/recor ...

) in 1981. The subsequent introduction of diseases, and violent attacks by outsiders, caused a drastic decrease in population from the initially-estimated count of fewer than 1,000.

Rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...

harvesters disputed FUNAI's demarcation of Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau lands. In 1991, one of the world's largest known tin deposits was discovered in Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau lands. After 1993 their population began increasing again. The Uru-Eu-Uaw-Uaw Indigenous Territory was established by the

Brazilian government The politics of Brazil take place in a framework of a federal presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. The political and administrative ...

to protect the tribes and only Indians can legally live in the indigenous territory; however, loggers and miners have regularly invaded their lands."Massive Invasion of Isolated Indians' Land."
''Survival International.'' 12 Jan 2007 (retrieved 26 April 2011) In the 2022 documentary '' The Territory'', released by

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

, Bitaté, an Indigenous leader of the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau, stated the population was approximately 180. Missionaries are active among the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau, and an NGO called Kanindé is trying to fight outside influences and assimilationists on the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau.

Language

Culture

The Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau are

hunter-gatherer A hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living in a community, or according to an ancestrally derived Lifestyle, lifestyle, in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local naturally occurring sources, esp ...

s. They use a poison made from tree bark on their arrows when hunting

tapir Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a Suidae, pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk (proboscis). Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, South and Centr ...

and other game. They are known for their distinctive tattoos around their mouths made from ''genipapo'', a black

vegetal dye Natural dyes are dyes or colorants derived from plants, invertebrates, or minerals. The majority of natural dyes are vegetable dyes from plant sources—roots, berry, berries, Bark (botany), bark, leaf, leaves, and wood—and other biological sourc ...

Notes

External links