Ayoreo
Encyclopedia
The Ayoreo are a native ethnic group living on Gran Chaco
, in an area among rivers Paraguay
, Pilcomayo
, Parapetí and Grande, stretching both in Bolivia and Paraguay. They speak the Ayoreo language
, which is classified under Zamucoan
, a small language family of Paraguay and Bolivia. Ayoreo combine hunter-gatherer
lifestyle with farming, depending on the season of the year. There are records about a kind of shamanism
(“nainai”, shaman).
There are several subgroups, for example Totobiegosode were isolated, but many of them have been eventually relocated forcibly, while some remnants still keep avoiding contact. Some groups still live uncontacted
(or in voluntary isolation), being the only extant uncontacted tribes in South America not living in the Amazon
.
In 2010, an expedition in search of new species of plants and insects, organised by the Natural History Museum
in London, was suspended when concerns were raised that Ayoreo people might be encountered and disturbed.
In Bolivia, the Ayoreo people are represented by the organization CANOB (Central Ayoreo Nativo del Oriente Boliviano). In 2002 an Ayoreo organization was founded in Paraguay, UNAP (Unión Nativa Ayoreo del Paraguay). CANOB has its main office in Santa Cruz de la Sierra whilst UNAP has its headquarters at the frontier between the Campo Loro and Ebetogué regions.
Gran Chaco
The Gran Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semi-arid lowland region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, where it is connected with the Pantanal region...
, in an area among rivers Paraguay
Paraguay River
The Paraguay River is a major river in south central South America, running through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina...
, Pilcomayo
Pilcomayo River
The Pilcomayo River is a river in central South America. At long, it is the longest western tributary of the Paraguay River. Its drainage basin is in area, and its mean discharge is ....
, Parapetí and Grande, stretching both in Bolivia and Paraguay. They speak the Ayoreo language
Ayoreo language
Ayoreo is a Zamucoan language spoken in both Paraguay and Bolivia. It is also known as Morotoco , Moro, Ayoweo, Ayoré, and Pyeta Yovai. However, the name "Ayoreo" is more common in Bolivia, and "Morotoco" in Paraguay...
, which is classified under Zamucoan
Zamucoan languages
Zamucoan is a small language family of Paraguay and Bolivia .The family has hardly been studied by linguists , although several studies have recently appeared .-Extant languages:Zamucoan consists of two living languages:*...
, a small language family of Paraguay and Bolivia. Ayoreo combine hunter-gatherer
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
lifestyle with farming, depending on the season of the year. There are records about a kind of shamanism
Shamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
(“nainai”, shaman).
There are several subgroups, for example Totobiegosode were isolated, but many of them have been eventually relocated forcibly, while some remnants still keep avoiding contact. Some groups still live uncontacted
Uncontacted peoples
Uncontacted people, also referred to as isolated people or lost tribes, are communities who live, or have lived, either by choice or by circumstance, without significant contact with globalized civilisation....
(or in voluntary isolation), being the only extant uncontacted tribes in South America not living in the Amazon
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
.
In 2010, an expedition in search of new species of plants and insects, organised by the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
in London, was suspended when concerns were raised that Ayoreo people might be encountered and disturbed.
In Bolivia, the Ayoreo people are represented by the organization CANOB (Central Ayoreo Nativo del Oriente Boliviano). In 2002 an Ayoreo organization was founded in Paraguay, UNAP (Unión Nativa Ayoreo del Paraguay). CANOB has its main office in Santa Cruz de la Sierra whilst UNAP has its headquarters at the frontier between the Campo Loro and Ebetogué regions.