Kayapo

The Reappearing World

Throughout history, many native tribes have been subjected to the effects of colonialism. They are often stripped of their land and resources, and are forced to adapt to a new way of life. Their cultural values and even political presence weaken as they become a mere product of acculturation. There is no doubt that the clash of two unique societies with mismatched power usually has violent and unfair outcomes. However, there have been a few cases where the effects of colonialism did not completely penetrate the ideology and lifestyle of a culture. Living proof of this is the aboriginal Kayapo Tribe of the Brazilian rainforest who stood up against pressures from the outside world in order to preserve their way of live. Even though the Kayapo are outnumbered and are disadvantaged technologically, they have still been able to coexist with Brazilian society and maintain their cultural integrity.

The film The Kayapo’s: Indians from the Brazilian Rainforest, directed by anthropologist Terry Turner, depicts the social and economic struggle between the traditional Kayapo tribes and the modern post-colonialist Brazilian society during the 1960’s. It also shows how to two distinct groups of Kayapo Indians responded to the situation differently. This ethnographic film begins with a sequence of black and white photos of Kayapo Indians holding modern electronics, such as a TV. What stands out is that the images on the electronics are in color. This contrast is symbolic of the clash between traditional Kayapo with the new modern Kayapo.

The second scene in the film shows a traditionally dressed Kayapo Indian covered in feathers going into a bank. He speaks in Portuguese to a bank teller about the Kayapo account, which just received around 2 million dollars that year from gold miners. This Indian belongs to one of two distinct Kayapo groups called the Gorotire. The Gorotire, in return for some of the revenue, allow Brazilians to mine and settle their land. The Chief of the Gorotire and his sons are constantly traveling to the Brasilia, Brazil’s capital, to negotiate with Brazilian politicians. Most of the Gorotire dress in modern cloths around the Brazilians; speak fluent Portuguese and even wear sunglasses. However, when they return home, they resume wearing traditional Kayapo garments. They believe that their interaction with Brazilians has not threatened their culture and identity.

The second group of Kayapo Indians, the Kapot, is completely against allowing Brazilians onto their land, and strives to remain unaffected by the outside world. They dress traditionally at all times. Chief Routny, the Kapot leader, is described as an intelligent leader and diplomat who persuaded the Brazilian authorities to grant his people a legal title to his land and a stretch of the Xingu River. Chief Routny stresses that his people need to protect their timber and fiercely guard their territory so that their forest is not spoiled. He is constantly in conflict with Brazilians; in fact he has killed more than 50 Brazilian intruders throughout his life. He fears that Brazilian influence threatens their culture, for at one time Brazilians introduced them to coffee, sugar, and food; they slept with their women and made their people lustful for money. The Kapot now resist Brazilian interaction in order to preserve their society. Not only are the Kapot aggressive towards colonialists, they also have a hostile relationship with other tribes that try to settle on their land. They believe that this hostile attitude towards all outsiders enabled them to gain respect as a presence not to be reckoned with in Brazil.

Both Kayapo groups preserve their traditional way of life by maintaining a harmonious relationship with nature. Through the eyes of the Kayapo, the forest is not only a source of food, but it is a world infinitely rich in meanings, where every plant or animal can be used in rituals, medicine, and even body decoration. Even though the Kayapo do not believe in a supreme being they still look at the forest with mystical eyes and look for symbols. For example, they have noticed that some bees have fatter bodies than others, so traditionally, they rub it against their dogs believing that they will be able to successfully hunt larger preys. The important role of the forest is expressed in the Kayapo ceremonial hunting expeditions, which happen various times throughout the year.

These expeditions are a part of the naming ceremony for young Kayapo, which is considered the most important event in a child’s life. For the Kayapo, names are very important symbols of wealth. This is one of the reasons why the Kayapo have not been affected by the enticement of gold. For the Kayapo, the beauty of a name exceeds the value of gold, for it is something that cannot be bought. Every individual of the tribe takes part in the naming ceremony in one way or another. Most of the Kapot group accompanied by their Chief Routny move into the forest for several weeks to hunt animals, particularly tortoises. The more tortoises the tribe collects on the hunting expedition, the more beautiful the name is. Also they hunt tortoises because it is the only reptile that can be stored alive (in racks), for the duration of the hunting expedition. The fact that these traditions have been preserved for centuries make the Kayapo intensely connected with their culture. The Kayapo take pride in hunting and would never exchange it for farming or raising cattle, even though it is easier and guaranteed; they consider the Brazilians lazy for farming. In addition to traditional hunting expeditions, the Kayapo have a distinctive social structure which enables them to be disciplined and withstand Brazilian social pressures.

By examining the traditional hierarchical structure of the hunting camp, one can see why the Kayapo are so disciplined and have such powerful political influence. Both the men and women are divided into different age groups which work collectively in highly organized teams. It is a system based on seniority with the older men, heads of households, having full authority over the people. However, they still listen and take advice from younger people. Every age group plays an important role to the collective whole. Lead by Chief Routny, the older men are the ones who go into the forest to hunt. Under the authority of the married seniors are the bachelors, who take orders and clear the forest for the hunt. The young boys working in teams cut wooden racks to hold the tortoises. The married senior women build the houses for each new camp, cut firewood, cook food, and carry all of the possessions from camp to camp. Additionally, unmarried younger women take care of unattended children and look for water. The whole system functions automatically as a support