Jivaro People of the Rain Forest

This is a paper that talks about the Jivaro people of the South American rain forest. There are four references used in this paper.

There are many different tribes living throughout the world today. It is interesting to look at some of the people living in the rapidly disappearing rain forests of South America.

The Jivaro

There is a tribe of people who live in the South American country of Ecuador known as the Jivaro. These people, who reside north of the Maran n River and east of the Andes, are known for "farming, hunting, fishing, and weaving (Jivaro, 2002)."

The Region and Language

The Jivaros live mainly in the "Morona-Santiage, Zamora Chinchipe, and Pastaza provinces near the Peruvian border (Weil, 1991)." This tribe of approximately seventy-five groups reject all outsiders with their warlike tendencies (Weil, 1991).

This region has limited modern means of communication, but this is quickly changing as more of the jungle is inhabited.

For years, the main means of communication has been through missionaries, during their rare ventures into the jungle. The Jivaros are capable of bilingualism since they not only speak in their native language, but have learned Quechua, which is used by other tribes in the Oriente region (Weil, 1991).

Patrilineal Society

The Jivaro are governed in fatherly manner that provides for their needs, while denying them responsibilities and rights, known as a patrilineal society (http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entries/97/p0109700.html).The head of the family is the community leader and many times is the religious authority (Weil, 1991).

The family group consists of 15 to 20 people living in a large, communal house that is so isolated from others (Jivaro, 2002) that it generally takes one to two days to walk from one community to another. The communities will join each other in times of war, but fiercely maintain their political independence (Weil, 1991).

Life in One House

The oval-shaped house where the entire extended family lives is built with a thatched roof and sapling walls and is made to resist attacks. The males live in one end of this house, while the women and children stay in the other side. The settlement...

The Jivaro are proficient farmers who grow crops such as cotton, tobacco, fruits and vegetables (Weil, 1991). This tribe differs from the other groups who live in the jungle by raising domestic animals like cattle, chickens and guinea pigs. Besides farming, the Jivaro hunt, fish and gather many of the wild plants that grow in the forests as way to survive.
Craftsmanship

The males in the tribe are responsible for spinning and the highly developed art of basket weaving, while the task of producing ceramics falls to the women. The entire tribe is involved in making the many weapons needed for warfare and hunting, such as "lances, spears, shields, blowguns, fishnets and fishhooks (Weil, 1991)."

Head Hunters

For many years, missionaries and government groups tried in vain to subdue the Jivaro, who are feared for "their warlike tendencies and hostility toward outsiders (Weil, 1991)."

Though head shrinking is no longer widely practiced, the Jivaro became famous for this ritual that was accompanied by an elaborate ceremony (Jivaro, 2002). The heads originally were believed to hold a magical power, but as demand for them grew, they started being produced for trophies instead of ceremonial use. This led the government to create tough restrictions on the purchase of shrunken human heads. The government restrictions and a decline in warfare between communities have virtually eliminated this centuries old practice (Weil, 1991).

Religious System

Unlike the other tribes in the area that mix Christianity with their ancestral beliefs, the Jivaro religion concentrates "on a supernatural force embodied in dieties (Weil)." This force, which includes the rain god and the earth mother, gives objects and spirits power. Though there is no real structure in their religion, the Jivora fear gods and spirits and perform rituals as a way to keep them happy.

Marriage, Birth and Death

Most marriages occur when the bride is purchased or the groom works a short time for his future father-in-law. Most communities prefer the practice of cross-cousin…