Jivaroan peoples

Jivaroan peoples refers to groups of indigenous peoples in the headwaters of the Marañon River, and its tributaries in northern Peru and eastern Ecuador. The principal groups are:

• Shuar
• Achuar
• Humabisa
• Aguaruna

Some have also named the following:

• Antipas^[1]
• Mayna^[1]

Moreover, the Shiwiar are a group of Achuar speakers living along the Corrientes River, next to Quechua speakers; many Shiwiar also speak this other, unrelated, language.

These names identify speakers of distinct languages of the same language family.^[1]. Anthropologists have recognized these languages as distinct peoples, but have called attention to two confounding factors. The first has to do with nomenclature: Jivaroan language speakers typically identify themselves either by their language's word for person (shuar) or by the name of the river on which they live. Consequently, historical sources record either one name for all, or a plethora names of many small Jivaroan tribes, each the name of a different river.^[1][2]

The second reason has to do with social organization. Prior to Ecuadorian or Peruvian colonization and Christian missionization in the twentieth century, the principal unit of Jivaroan social organization was the polygynous matrilocal household or cluster of matrilocally-organized households. Notably, although Jivaroans shared the same language and culture, each household or cluster of matrilocally organized households were politically and economically autonomous.^[3][4] Thus, in 1938 Matthew Stirling commented that

the Jivaros scattered over this vast territory of approximately 22,000 square miles (57,000 km²) are of similar appearance physically; they speak a single language and their customs, beliefs and material culture are closely interrelated. With this, however, their unity ends. The scores of small independent groups, living for the most part on the headwaters of the tributary streams, are constantly at war, one group with another.

He also said that:

...they live in widely separated household groups with very little consciousness of any sort of political unity. Such groupings as exist are continually shifting location, separating, amalgamating, or being exterminated^[1]

In short, prior to colonization and missionization Jivaroan speakers were not organized into any stable and clearly bounded polities or ethnic groups.

In response to colonization and missionization, however, Jivaroan speakers have formed nucleated settlements that are organized into political federations: the Federación Interprovincial de Centros Shuar and the Nacionalidad Achuar de Ecuador in Ecuador, and the Organización Central de Comunidades Aguarunas del Alto Marañon and the Consejo Aguaruna y Huambisa in Peru.

The word "Jivaro" is likely a corruption of the indigenous word, Shuar.^[5] During the Spanish colonial period, "Jivaros" were viewed as the antithesis of "civilized. The word Jíbaro thus entered the Spanish language; in Ecuador it is highly pejorative and signifies "savage," outside of Ecuador, especially in Mexico and Puerto Rico, it has come to mean "rustic."

References