Terena

expand_more Description

The Terena are a subgroup of the Guana who lived originally in the northeastern area of the Paraguayan Chaco. By the mid-nineteenth century, mainly under pressure by other ethnic groups, they migrated to the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, where they are mostly found today. The Terena language is part of the Arawak Language Family. Subsistence is largely based on agriculture (maize, cassava, rice, beans, and sugarcane are the traditional crops) supplemented by raising poultry, and by hunting, fishing and collecting of wild food plants. Terena society traditionally featured two major social strata; chiefs and their kin, the common people, and a possible third level made up of individuals from other ethnic groups who have been absorbed into the society.

Identifier

Region

• South America

Subregion

• Southern South America

Subsistence Type

• primarily hunter-gatherers

Samples

• EA

Countries

• Brazil