The Xikrin are an

Indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

of the

Brazilian Amazon Brazilian commonly refers to: * Brazil, a country * Brazilians, its people * Brazilian Portuguese, its dialect Brazilian may also refer to: * "The Brazilian", a 1986 instrumental music piece by Genesis * Brazilian Café, Baghdad, Iraq (1937) * Bra ...

, belonging to the Kayapó (Mebêngôkre) linguistic and cultural group. Their traditional territory spans the Cateté and Bacajá river basins in the state of

Pará Pará () is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian st ...

, where they live in recognized Indigenous lands and maintain a vibrant cultural identity rooted in their relationship with the rivers and forests.

Name and identity

The Xikrin refer to themselves as '' Mebêngôkre'', meaning "people of the water hole" or "people of the big water", a name shared with other Kayapó groups. The term "Xikrin" was originally used by neighboring groups and became widely adopted. Historically, they also called themselves ''Put Karôt''. Their language, Xikrin, belongs to the Macro-Jê family.

Territory and villages

The Xikrin inhabit two main Indigenous Territories: ''Cateté'' and ''Trincheira Bacajá'', both in Pará state. The Cateté area is drained by the Itacaiúnas and Cateté rivers and is rich in tropical forest,

mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...

, Brazil nut trees, and babassu palms. The Trincheira Bacajá Indigenous Land, home to about 1067 Xikrin in 15 villages, covers 1.65 million hectares in the heart of the Amazon. Villages are built close to rivers or creeks on well-drained land, with a central plaza surrounded by houses. The ''Men’s House'' (a communal, political, and ritual space) stands at the center. The Xikrin depend on the rivers for food, transportation, and cultural practices.

History

The Xikrin are descendants of the larger Kayapó/Mebêngôkre group, whose oral histories trace their origins to the Tocantins and Araguaia rivers. The Xikrin of Cateté had their first formal contact with non-Indigenous people in 1952, and the Bacajá Xikrin in 1959. Early contact brought epidemics and population decline, but recent decades have seen demographic recovery, with the population rising from about 470 in the 1980s to over 2000 today.

Social organization and culture

Xikrin society is organized around extended families and ceremonial societies. Ritual life is central, with festivals marking transitions such as the ''merêrêmei'' (beautiful festival), naming ceremonies, and initiation rites for boys and girls. Traditional adornment includes feather diadems, shell necklaces, and body painting with

annatto Annatto ( or ) is an orange-red condiment and food coloring derived from the seeds of the achiote tree (''Bixa orellana''), native to tropics, tropical parts of the Americas. It is often used to impart a yellow to red-orange color to foods, but ...

and charcoal. Boys undergo

scarification Scarification involves scratching, etching, burning/ branding, or superficially cutting designs, pictures, or words into the skin as a permanent body modification or body art. The body modification can take roughly 6–12 months to heal. In t ...

and trials to mark their passage to adulthood. Women play a key role in cultural transmission and environmental stewardship.

Economy and livelihood

The Xikrin practice slash-and-burn agriculture, growing sweet potato, yam,

manioc ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

, maize, pumpkin,

papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus '' Carica'' of the family Caricaceae, and also the name of its fruit. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within ...

, banana, and cotton. They hunt, fish, and gather forest products such as Brazil nuts and medicinal plants. In recent years, they have developed forest management plans to balance traditional subsistence with sustainable commercial activities.

Environmental and political challenges

Xikrin territories are targets for

illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase, or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a p ...

, mining, and

land grabbing Land grabbing is the large-scale acquisition of land through buying or leasing of large pieces of land by domestic and Multinational corporation, transnational companies, governments, and individuals. While used broadly throughout history, land g ...

. The Cateté Xikrin have organized to defend their lands, forming associations such as the Bep-Nói Association and winning legal battles against timber companies. The Xikrin have also faced environmental contamination from mining operations, notably heavy metal pollution linked to nickel extraction. Despite these pressures, the Xikrin continue to assert their rights and protect the Amazon, contributing to the preservation of one of the world’s most important ecosystems.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xikrin Ethnic groups in Brazil Indigenous peoples in Brazil Indigenous peoples of the Amazon