Makuusi | |
|---|---|
 Macushi village in Brazil | |
| Total population | |
| 43,192 [1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Brazil | 33,603 (2014) [1] |
 Guyana | 9,500 (2011) [1] |
 Venezuela | 89 (2011) [1] |
| Languages | |
| Macushi, Portuguese, English and Spanish [2] | |
| Religion | |
| Indigenous religion, Roman Catholicism | |
The Macushi (Makuusi, Portuguese : Macuxi) are an indigenous people living in the borderlands of southern Guyana, northern Brazil in the state of Roraima, and in an eastern part of Venezuela. [2]
The Macushi are also known as the Macusi, Macussi, Makushi, Makusi, Makuxi, Teueia, and Teweya people. [2] Macushi, as well as the Arecuna, Kamarakoto, and Taurepan are considered sub-groups of Pemon. [3]
Macushi people speak the Macushi language, a Macushi-Kapon language, which is part of the Carib language family. Some in Brazil also speak Portuguese, while some in Venezuela speak Spanish, and some in Guyana speak English. The Macushi language is written in the Latin script, and the New Testament was translated into the language in 1996. [2]
Macushi were hesitant to teach their language to outsiders, thus the language was threatened in the 1950s, as it was considered "slang" compared to the official Portuguese. [4]
They live in villages linked together by tracks and paths, with houses built round a central courtyard. When married, the Macushi couple lives in the wife's family's village and the father-in-law is of great importance in Macushi kinship.
Macushi practice hunting and agriculture methods such as shifting cultivation and fish-poisoning. [5]
Similar to other indigenous groups in the area, Macushi traditional life relies a great deal on the bitter cassava, and cultivation tasks are divided by gender. Men traditionally clear the land and women tend and harvest. In Macushi lore, cassava was created for cultivation purpose and is overseen by a Cassava Mother (kisera yan). Women are the main processors, and the main products are cassava bread, farine, parakari, wo (drink), starch tapioca, and casereep. Village status is correlated to success in cassava farming. [6]
Macushi oral history describes them as descendants of the sun's children, the benevolent Insikiran (Inshkirung) and his malevolent brother Makunaima (or Negi) [4] who created fire, as well as diseases, and they also believe they discovered Washacá, the Tree of Life. The Macushi believe in the life principle – stkaton – and they believe it comes from the sun. [7] Similar to other Amerindian groups (such as Patamona or Akawaio people) is the importance of the piaiman, a medicine-man or spiritual leader [4] and belief in keinaimi (kanaima), a type of evil spirit that is personified as an "outsider" that brings death and misfortune. [8] Kanaima have been associated with shape-shifting (usually animals such as jaguars, bats, or armadillos) and attacks are often directed at individuals when they are alone, in which they would be assaulted and die some days later. Another use of the term applies spiritual context to stealth, assassin-like tactics as a form of protection, but can come back to harm the beneficiaries as well. [9]
The earliest recorded mentions of Macushi was in 1740 in context of Luso-Brazilian slave raids led by Irishman Lourenço Belforte. From the 1700s to the late 1800s, the Macushi were pushed north by Portuguese and Brazilian raids, and south by Caribs and Akawaio proxies for the Dutch and English, limiting the extent of their lands to the Rupununi Savannah. While there are reports of Macushi selling their own into slavery, it has also been noted that this was done under duress. In the 1800s, Macushis "specialized in producing hammocks, various crafts, and a potent form of curare" which were traded among other Amerindian groups in the region often for cassava graters and blow-pipes. [9]
Prior to European colonization, Macushi were semi-nomadic, but permanent settlements have since formed usually around Catholic or Anglican missions or government-built schools. By the 1900s, many Macushi worked as laborers doing balata-bleeding or cattle-ranching. [5] Brazilian indigenous policies have had a more visibly significant effect on Macushi culture compared to the Guyana side, which on the most part had been to leave them alone. [8]
During the 18th century in Brazil, non-native people occupied Macushi territory, establishing mission villages and farms and forcing Macushi people to relocate. [10]
The Brazilian Government have set up schools, as well as hospitals for the Macushi and since 2005 they are campaigning for land rights to be recognized throughout Brazil. Macushi are the largest indigenous group in the Roraima, and make up a segment of the population of Boa Vista. Raposa Serra do Sol is a recognized indigenous area of the Macushi. [4]
In Guyana, the Macushi settled in the Northern Rupununi Savannah. [11] Cuthbert Cary-Elwes, a Jesuit missionary settled among the Macushi of the Rupununi Region (Guyana) in 1909, learned the language and stayed with them for more than 23 years. [12] The Iwokrama International Centre is managed by Macushi and the villages of Annai, Kwatamang, Surama, Rewa, Crash Water, Karasabai and Yupukari are considered Macushi settlements. [5] In the southern Rupununi, St. Ignatius and Moco-Moco also Macushi settlements. [13]
The Rupununi Uprising which was led by prominent European and Amerindian ranching families, covered much of the traditional Macushi territory [5] and many Macushi were also killed.
The Rupununi is a region in the south-west of Guyana, bordering the Brazilian Amazon. The Rupununi river, also known by the local indigenous peoples as Raponani, flows through the Rupununi region. The name Rupununi originates from the word rapon in the Makushi language, in which it means the black-bellied whistling duck found along the river.
The Wai-wai are a Carib-speaking Indigenous people of Guyana and northern Brazil. Their society consists of different lowland forest peoples who have maintained much of their cultural identity with the exception of Christianity which was introduced to them in the late 1950s.
The Wapishana or Wapichan are an indigenous group found in the Roraima area of northern Brazil and southern Guyana.
Annai is an Amerindian village in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of Guyana.
Bonfim is a municipality located in the mideast of the state of Roraima in Brazil. Its population is 12,557 and its area is 8,095 km2. The city lies opposite the Takutu River from Lethem, Guyana. The Takutu River Bridge links Bonfim and Roraima with the town of Lethem and the Atlantic port of Georgetown, Guyana.
The Akawaio are an Indigenous people who live in Roraima (Brazil), Guyana, and Venezuela. They are one of several closely related peoples called Ingarikó and Kapon. The Akawaio language is used by 5,000 to 6,000 speakers.
Cuthbert Cary-Elwes was an English Jesuit priest, itinerant missionary and founder of the Rupununi Mission, in South-Guyana.
The North Rupununi District in located in south-west Guyana consisting of a mixture of forest, savannah and wetlands ecosystems and is considered one of the most diverse areas in South America. Located on the eastern margin of the larger savannah system which extends into Brazil and is separated by the Ireng and Takutu rivers that come together to form the Rio Branco. The Guyana Rupununi system is divided into the North and South Rupununi by the Kanuku Mountains.
Wowetta is an indigenous village in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region in Guyana. The village is mainly inhabited by Macushi people.
Surama is an Amerindian village in the North Rupununi area and the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of Guyana, with a population of 274 people as of 2012.
Macushi is an indigenous language of the Carib family spoken in Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela. It is also referred to as Makushi, Makusi, Macuxi, Macusi,Macussi,Teweya or Teueia. It is the most populous of the Cariban languages. According to Instituto Socioambiental, the Macushi population is at an estimated 43,192, with 33,603 in Brazil, 9,500 in Guyana and 89 in Venezuela. In Brazil, the Macushi populations are located around northeastern Roraima, Rio Branco, Contingo, Quino, Pium and Mau rivers. Macuxi speakers in Brazil, however, are only estimated at 15,000.
Audrey Joan Butt Colson, is a social anthropologist with a particular interest in the Amerindian peoples of Guyana, Brazil and Venezuela. She was, together with Peter Rivière, one of the pioneers of Amazonian anthropology at the University of Oxford.
Fairview (Kurupukari) is an indigenous settlement on the Essequibo River, in the Upper Demerara-Berbice region of Guyana. It is the entry point to the Iwokrama Forest. Former president David A. Granger once referred to Iwokrama as the "green heart of Guyana."
Sydney Charles Allicock is a Guyanese politician. He was minister of Indigenous People's Affairs in Guyana from 2015-2020, and was vice-president of Guyana from 2015-2020.
Rewa is an Amerindian village in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo region of Guyana.
St. Ignatius is an Amerindian village in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo region of Guyana, near the regional capital Lethem and the border of Brazil. It was originally a mission founded by Jesuit priests to serve the Amerindians in the Rupununi savannah.
Alleluia is a syncretic religion combining Christianity and traditions practiced by Carib-speaking Indigenous peoples in Guyana.
Toka is an indigenous village of Macushi Amerindians in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of Guyana. It is located in the North Rupununi Wetlands.
Nappi is an indigenous village of Macushi Amerindians in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of Guyana. It is located in the Rupununi savannah along the Nappi and Maipaima creeks on the edge of the Kanuku Mountains.
Jaider Esbell was a Brazilian writer, artist, art educator, curator, geographer, and indigenous rights activist.
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