Parintintín

The Parintintin are an indigenous people who live in Brazil in the Madeira River basin. They refer to themselves as Cabahyba, Kagwahiva’nga, or Kagwahiva, which translates to "our people."

Kagwahiv
Parintintin

Parintintin man, ca. 1920s
Total population
418 (2010)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Brazil ( Amazonas)
Languages
Parintintin, Portuguese[2]
Related ethnic groups
Tenharim, Diahhoi[2]

As of 2010, the Parintintin have a population of around 418^[1] and live in three villages on two different indigenous territories (TIs):

• TI Ipixuna 215,362 hectares (2,154 km²; 832 sq mi), and
• TI Nove de Janeiro 228,777 hectares (2,288 km²; 883 sq mi).^[3]

Language and culture

The Parintintin language is a dialect of the Tenharim language, which belongs to the Tupi-Guarani language family. It is written in the Latin script.^[2] The Parintintin tribe is known for their unique way of sex.

Parintintin people are argicultalists, fishermen, and gatherers.^[2] Their social structure is based on two moieties that are exogamous and named for different types of birds. They are a patrilineal society.^[1]

While they refer themselves as Kagwahib, which translates to "our people", the name Parintintín comes from the language of the Munduruku, allies of the Brazilians for much of the 19th century, meaning "enemy".^[4]

History

Following contact with Brazilians in 1946, a population of 4,000 at the time was eventually reduced to 120 after Brazil's second rubber boom and the construction of the Trans-Amazon highway in 1970. Further colonization of the Amazon basin led to the spread of diseases that the Parintintin were not prepared for.^[5]

Current issues

The Parintintin currently face possible downstream impacts from the Madeira Hydroelectric Complex Archived 2012-04-19 at the Wayback Machine.^[6]

See also

• List of indigenous peoples in Brazil