Yanomami tribe

© Boardworks Ltd 20051 of 181 of 18 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

The Yanomami Tribe

© Boardworks Ltd 20052 of 18

Who are the Yanomami?How do the Yanomami live?What are the threats to their lifestyle?

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The Yanomami are a group of Amazonian Indians who live in the rainforest. The Yanomami have tried to maintain a traditional, nomadic way of life. Their population currently stands at 9,000.

The Yanomami

Nomadic means ‘moves from place to place’.


The Yanomami live in ‘yanos’ which are large, communal dwellings made of tree trunks and thatches of palm leaves. Between ten and twenty families live in a yano. Each family has its own section and fire. These dwellings are only temporary and over a period of time they become infested by cockroaches and bats.

The Yanomami


The Yanomami are semi-nomadic. They build their yanos near suitable land for growing plants. The forest provides firewood, nuts, berries and animals to hunt. The Yanomami hunt, gather, fish and farm the land for five to ten years and then move onto another area.

The Yanomami


The Yanomani live in harmony with the rainforest and leave virtually no impact on the ecosystem.

It is a SUSTAINABLE way of life.

That means they respect the Rainforest and never take more than they need.


Who are the Yanomami?How do the Yanomami live?What are the threats to their lifestyle?

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Yanomami boys are taught to hunt while Yanomami girls are taught to grow crops and cook.

Yanomami facts!

Yanomami children work (hunt, learn about growing crop) for 4 hours per day. In their spare time they enjoy activities such as swimming and dancing.


Yanomami wear few clothes but instead use paint and beads to decorate their bodies. This paint helps repel flies and mosquitos.

The Yanomami use plants with medicinal properties found in the rainforest. Quinine was discovered in the Amazon.It is an anti-malaria drug from the bitter bark of the cinchona tree.

Yanomami facts!


Who are the Yanomami?What is shifting cultivation?How do the Yanomami live?What are the threats to their lifestyle?

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The Yanomami’s land is rich in minerals and resources. Since 1987 their land has been destroyed by loggers and garimpeiros (illegal gold miners).

Due to this contact with the outside world, 1,500 Yanomami Indians have died from Western diseases their bodies don’t know how to fight and they have no medicines to treat them. However, disease is not the only threat. Newcomers scare off the wild animals the Yanomami hunt with noise from vehicles and machinery. They also poison the rivers with mercury, which is used to purify the gold.

Yanomami Indians - threats


In May 1992, the Brazilian Government recognised the Yanomani’s rights to the land by creating a Yanomami Park. This protects the tribes from further invasions and the 40,000 garimpeiros living in this area have been forced to move. The government sent in the army to destroy the airstrips that were used to supply the gold mines. Less than 2,000 garimpeiros now remain in the Park.

Yanomami Park


Compare your lifestyle with the Yanomami’s. Think of similarities as well as differences. Use the next two slides to gain more information on the Yanomami.

My Lifestyle Yanomami’s lifestyle

Home

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Yanomami Lifestyle

Education

Yanomami tribe