Apinajé

Apinajé
Total population
1,847 (2010)[1]
Regions with significant populations
 Brazil (Tocantins)
Languages

Apinayé, Portuguese

Religion

Animism[2]

Related ethnic groups

Timbira people

The Apinajé (also Apinalé and Apinajés) are an indigenous people of Brazil, living in the state of Tocantins.[1]

Contents

History

In the late 20th century, immigrants encroached on Apinajé lands. Their lands divided when highways such as the Belém-Brasilia Highway and the Trans-Amazonian Highway. Part of their lands separated by the Trans-Amazonian Highway was taken from them and the tribe is working to regain it.[1]

Economic development

Apinajé woman farm subsistence gardens, while men fell trees and plant rice. Common crops include bananas, beans, broad beans, papayas, peanuts, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, watermelons, and yams. Apinajé families raise cattle, pigs, and chickens. Hunting and fishing supplement domestic foods. In the past, babaçu nuts were sold for cash.[3]

Language

Apinajé people speak the Apinayé language, a Macro-Jê language. It is spoken in six villages by the majority of the tribe. Some Apinajé people also speak Portuguese.[4]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c "Apinajé: Introduction." Povos Indígenas no Brasil. (retrieved 25 April 2011)
  2. ^ "Apinayé: Aspects of Cosmology." Povos Indígenas no Brasil. (retrieved 25 April 2011)
  3. ^ "Apinayé: Productive Activities." Povos Indígenas no Brasil. (retrieved 25 April 2011)
  4. ^ "Apinayé." Ethnologue. (retrieved 25 April 2011)

External links