The Wanano Indians of the Brazilian Amazon

The Wanano Indians of the Brazilian Amazon
Author :
Publisher : University of Texas Press
Total Pages : 212
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780292782679
ISBN-13 : 0292782675
Rating : 4/5 (675 Downloads)

Book Synopsis The Wanano Indians of the Brazilian Amazon by : Janet M. Chernela

Download or read book The Wanano Indians of the Brazilian Amazon written by Janet M. Chernela and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Wanano Indians of the northwest Amazon have a social system that differs from those of most tropical forest tribes. Neither stratified by wealth nor strictly egalitarian, Wanano society is "ranked" according to rigidly bound descent groups. In this pioneering ethnographic study, Janet M. Chernela decodes the structure of Wanano society. In Wanano culture, children can be "grandparents," while elders can be "grandchildren." This apparent contradiction springs from the fact that descent from ranked ancestors, rather than age or accumulated wealth, determines one's standing in Wanano society. But ranking's impulse is muted as senior clans, considered to be succulent (referring to both seniority and resource abundance), must be generous gift-givers. In this way, resources are distributed throughout the society. In two poignant chapters aptly entitled "Ordinary Dramas," Chernela shows that rank is a site of contest, resulting in exile, feuding, personal shame, and even death. Thus, Chernela's account is dynamic, placing rank in historic as well as personal context. As the deforestation of the Amazon continues, the Wanano and other indigenous peoples face growing threats of habitat destruction and eventual extinction. If these peoples are to be saved, they must first be known and valued. The Wanano Indians of the Brazilian Amazon is an important step in that direction.


The Wanano Indians of the Brazilian Amazon Related Books

The Wanano Indians of the Brazilian Amazon
Language: en
Pages: 212
Authors: Janet M. Chernela
Categories: Social Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2010-01-01 - Publisher: University of Texas Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Wanano Indians of the northwest Amazon have a social system that differs from those of most tropical forest tribes. Neither stratified by wealth nor strictl
The Wanano Indians of the Brazilian Amazon
Language: en
Pages: 212
Authors: Janet M. Chernela
Categories: Social Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2010-01-01 - Publisher: University of Texas Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Wanano Indians of the northwest Amazon have a social system that differs from those of most tropical forest tribes. Neither stratified by wealth nor strictl
Advances in Historical Ecology
Language: en
Pages: 456
Authors: William L. Balée
Categories: Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2012-09-18 - Publisher: Columbia University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Ecology is an attempt to understand the reciprocal relationship between living and nonliving elements of the earth. For years, however, the discipline either ne
Scoping the Amazon
Language: en
Pages: 261
Authors: Stephen Nugent
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2016-07 - Publisher: Routledge

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Savage cannibal or utopian proto-environmentalist? Nugent examines both popular images of Amazon peoples in film and general books as well as changing anthropol
A Reference Grammar of Kotiria (Wanano)
Language: en
Pages: 529
Authors: Kristine Stenzel
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2013-07-01 - Publisher: U of Nebraska Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Published through the Recovering Languages and Literacies of the Americas initiative, supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation This volume is the first desc