The Yanomami Tribe
May 12, 2001 -
© Jeanette Nelson
The Yanomami tribe consists of twenty to thirty thousand indians whom live in over a hundred villages scattered on both sides of the border between Venezuela and Brazil. They are also referred to as the Yanamamo, the Yanomam, and the Sanuma. It has been argued throughout history whether these people were of a violent nature or not.
Shamans play a massive role in the Yanomani culture. Their actions help to make sure that the rain forests survive. Many Shamans have been killed due to invasions and through epidemics that have appeared since the 1970's. The Yanomani believe that if all the Shamans were to die, it would mean the end of the world.
The Yanomami live in common houses called Yanos or Shabonos. No gives orders in the tribe of the Yanomani. Each person is given great respect for their wishes and decisions. They also have a great respect for nature and the things that live within.
Feathers are a very important custom for most of the Indians in the rainforests. Feathers may be worn on the head, on the upper arm, or in the earlobes. The feathers are used to express the relationship between man and animal, social status, or just personality of the individual. For the Yanomani, all things contain life. The earth, ground, water, trees, animals, and humans are all equal. Feathers mean change, so when a person dies, they are usually used in the funeral. When a person is covered in feathers, it means a release from the world. If a feather is covered in blood, the feather will lose it's power. The Indians use broad tipped area to knock the bird down, take the feather, then the bird is free to fly off again. In the Yanomani tribe, parrots are caught and made tame, so that they can use the tail feathers from the birds.
The Yanomani pass their information on orally, not by writings. Drawing and painting are a new art to them. Some of the drawings that have been found have been made by Indians who had never seen a pencil or paper before in their lives.
Gold was discovered in the Yanomani territory in the 1970s. In 1993, a group of miners attempted to massacre a village of 83 of the Yanomani. Only 19 of the group are left, mainly women and children. Only two of the miners were jailed for their crime.
Due to the massacre, disease, and destruction, the Yanomani have dwindled and have become an endangered tribe. We must do what we can to protect and to help them, before they switch from endangered to extinct....
Shamans play a massive role in the Yanomani culture. Their actions help to make sure that the rain forests survive. Many Shamans have been killed due to invasions and through epidemics that have appeared since the 1970's. The Yanomani believe that if all the Shamans were to die, it would mean the end of the world.
The Yanomami live in common houses called Yanos or Shabonos. No gives orders in the tribe of the Yanomani. Each person is given great respect for their wishes and decisions. They also have a great respect for nature and the things that live within.
Feathers are a very important custom for most of the Indians in the rainforests. Feathers may be worn on the head, on the upper arm, or in the earlobes. The feathers are used to express the relationship between man and animal, social status, or just personality of the individual. For the Yanomani, all things contain life. The earth, ground, water, trees, animals, and humans are all equal. Feathers mean change, so when a person dies, they are usually used in the funeral. When a person is covered in feathers, it means a release from the world. If a feather is covered in blood, the feather will lose it's power. The Indians use broad tipped area to knock the bird down, take the feather, then the bird is free to fly off again. In the Yanomani tribe, parrots are caught and made tame, so that they can use the tail feathers from the birds.
The Yanomani pass their information on orally, not by writings. Drawing and painting are a new art to them. Some of the drawings that have been found have been made by Indians who had never seen a pencil or paper before in their lives.
Gold was discovered in the Yanomani territory in the 1970s. In 1993, a group of miners attempted to massacre a village of 83 of the Yanomani. Only 19 of the group are left, mainly women and children. Only two of the miners were jailed for their crime.
Due to the massacre, disease, and destruction, the Yanomani have dwindled and have become an endangered tribe. We must do what we can to protect and to help them, before they switch from endangered to extinct....
The copyright of the article The Yanomami Tribe in Deforestation is owned by Jeanette Nelson. Permission to republish The Yanomami Tribe in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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