Mayoruna
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The Mayoruna are a tribe of South American Indians. They live in parts of the Loreto Region of northeastern area of Peru and adjacent areas across the border in Brazil. Their official and primary language is called Matsés (SIL code MCF), of the Northern Panoan family. Historically, the Mayoruna roamed the forests and lived by hunting, but they are now sedentary. They cut their hair in a line across the forehead and let it hang down their backs. Many have relatively fair skins and beards, a peculiarity sometimes explained by their alleged descent from Pedro de Ursúa's soldiers, but this theory is improbable. They were historically famous for the potency of their poison-darts. The Mayoruna population had once dwindled to perhaps as little as 500, but by 2005 had increased once again to over 3000. An indigenous rights organization named MATSES is providing assistance to the Matsés-Mayoruna people. [1][2][3]
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This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
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