Mythologies of the Kamayurá Tribes

The Kamayurá are an indigenous tribe in the Amazonian Basin of Brazil. Their name is also spelled Kamayura and Kamaiurá; it means "a raised platform to keep meat, pots and pans." The Kamayurá language belongs to the Tupi–Guarani family. The Kamayurá live in the Upper Xingu region along with Kiabi, Yudja and Suya tribes. The ways of life of these four tribes are quite similar despite having different languages. Their villages are situated around Lake Ipavu, which is six kilometres from the Kuluene River. Much like other small indigenous cultures around the globe, the Kamayurá are struggling to adapt to the effects of deforestation and climate change.

The Kamaiurá are an important reference in the culture area of the Upper Xingu, in which peoples who speak different languages share very similar worldviews and ways of life. They are even connected by a system of specialized trade and intergroup rituals, which have different names for each ethnic group, but which have become known (both by people within and outside the Xinguan universe) precisely by the terms used in the Kamaiurá language, such as the Kwarup and the Jawari. The Kamaiurá have never withdrawn from their area of occupation, in the region of the junction of the Kuluene and Kuliseu rivers, near the great lake of Ipavu, which means, in the language of these people, “big water”. Presently, the village of the Kamaiurá is located about ten kilometers to the north of the Leonardo Villas-Bôas Post, approximately 500 meters from the south bank of Lake Ipavu and six kilometers from the Kuluene River, to its right. What constitutes the immediate Kamaiurá territory are the village, formed by the houses and cerimonial plaza, the neighboring forest, Lake Ipavu and the streams that flow into it.

The Kamayurá tribes are an indigenous community residing in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, near the Xingu River. With a history dating back centuries, the Kamayurá people have nurtured their unique cultural heritage, spiritual beliefs, and sustainable practices. This article delves into the history, culture, social structure, economic activities, challenges, and the significance of preserving the Kamayurá tribes as vital custodians of indigenous wisdom and cultural richness in the Amazon rainforest. The Kamayurá tribes have lived in the Xingu region of the Brazilian Amazon for generations, deeply connected to the rivers, forests, and land that sustain their way of life. The Kamayurá belong to the Tupi-Guarani linguistic family and have thrived as semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers, possessing an intimate understanding of the local ecosystem. The arrival of outsiders, particularly during the colonial era, brought significant disruptions to their traditional way of life. Despite these challenges, the Kamayurá have demonstrated resilience in preserving their cultural identity and strong connection to their ancestral lands.

The Kamayurá are an indigenous tribe in the Amazonian Basin of Brazil. The name is also spelled Kamayura, and Kamaiurá in Portuguese; it means “a raised platform to keep meat, pots and pans.” The Kamayurá language belongs to the Tupi–Guarani family. The Kamayurá live in the Upper Xingu region along with Kiabi, Yudja and Suya tribes. The ways of life of these four tribes are quite similar despite having different languages. Their villages are situated around Lake Ipavu, which is six kilometres from the Kuluene River. Much like other small indigenous cultures around the globe, the Kamayurá are struggling to adapt to the effects of deforestation and climate change. In 2002 the Kamaiura’s population was roughly 355 people. As of 2010, there were about 544 Kamaiura. Their numbers have made a good recovery from the all-time low of 94 people recorded in 1954, the result of a measles epidemic. The Kamaiura are one of sixteen Peoples of the Xingu National Park in Brazil. Other Xingu Peoples include the Aweti, Ikpeng, Kalapalo, Kaiabi ,Kayapo, Kuikuro, Matipu, Mehinako, Nahukuá, Suyá, Trumai, Wauja, Yawalapiti and Yudjá.

The Kamayura know one thing: they have to keep their culture and identity, because they want to keep living as Kamayura. They are worried that the young generation will forget many of their traditions. Luckily, there are still elders in their village, who are an incredible repository of knowledge and culture. However, if something happens to the elders, they will lose all this knowledge that is so important for our identity as Kamayura people. As a solution to this problem of lost traditions, the Kamayura want to use video cameras to record their culture and computers to archive their culture, thus creating a cultural digital library in their village. They want to use modern technology to do accomplish this goal. If they succeed, they will leave something for their children and grandchildren. Without the Kamayura culture, they will stop being Kamayura. The Kamayura will learn not only how to use new technologies, but most important they will learn and recover their culture, they will learn to appreciate it and thus preserve it. They will learn the importance of keeping and transmitting our knowledge further, so that we maintain our Kamayura identity. In this way, the Kamayura traditions will be kept alive.

The Kamayurá language (Kamaiurá in Portuguese) belongs to the Tupi–Guarani family, and is spoken by the Kamayurá people of Brazil – who numbered about 600 individuals in 2014. There is speculation that as the indigenous peoples who spoke the Tupi languages mingled with other indigenous peoples, their languages gradually changed accordingly. This speculation is consistent with research done by linguists who study languages in different regions in order to find similarities and differences between languages. The Kamayurá people live in the Mato Grosso region of Brazil, specifically in the Upper Xingu area. The Kamayurá people do not have their own specific schools and rely on teaching each other the language, however, there have been a couple of youths, since the year 2000, that have participated in the Teacher Training Course. The Teacher Training Course strives to keep an indigenous language alive as well as educates individuals in the current national language of Brazil, in this case Portuguese.

The Kamayura tribe is made up of 300 persons living in the Alto Xingu in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Their traditional system of health care is based on the pajé, a witch doctor who uses plants and prayers for treatment. Field work was done in the Kamayura village holding successive interviews with the chief and the pajé Takumá to obtain information regarding the neurological disorders found there, the indigenous beliefs regarding illness (natural or based on witch-craft), their classification and traditional treatment based on plants. The terms employed were translated from Kamayura into Portuguese. Illness in Indians is caused by the revenge of the spirit (mama'e) of the animal killed by the huntsman. Epilepsy (Teawurup) or armadillo disease is caused when a huntsman kills an armadillo. It is treated with two roots, tsimó and wewuru, kneaded, diluted in water and applied to the eyes. An infusion of enamum root is also used. Migraine or monkey disease causes a pulsatile headache and vertigo. Mental retardation and infantile cerebral palsy are included in the ant-bear disease. Depression is treated with the plant 'iputunú'; which is applied diluted in water to the face of the patient so that he no longer sees his dead relations and may be cured. Schizophrenia or apuayat (owl disease) also occurs, but not parkinsonism or stroke. The Kamayura pajes have established a system of health-care based on magic folklore, transmitted orally and making use of traditional plants.