Matis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Matis are classic agriculturalists and expert hunters, consisting of 2 villages and total population of roughly 290. They live in the far west of Brazil, in the Vale do Javari Indigenous Park, an area covering 32,000 sq miles. The Matis tribe were first contacted by the Brazilian agency FUNAI during 1975-1976, although it wasn't until two years later in 1978 that FUNAI employees began visiting the then-five Matis villages, after Matis men overcame their fears about visiting the FUNAI station. The 1980s proved most difficult for the tribe in modern times, with experiences of Western diseases devastating roughly a third of their population, devoid of natural immunity or any remedies for these western diseases. The decade also saw the loss of three of their villages which now, completely abandoned, are occasionally visited by the Matis to harvest fruit trees.
Time has given the Matis a better understanding of events surrounding and following their first contact over 30 years ago. Whereas elder Matis traditionalists are keen to retain and in some cases readopt their old way of life, the younger Matis have been influenced by the modern outside world and want closer ties with modern Brazil, particularly for schooling and education. Regardless of what lies ahead, the Matis want to shape their futures on their own terms.
