article

Tapirs, tractors, and tapes: The changing economy and ecology of the Xavánte Indians of central Brazil

Human ecology25 (4)Published In 1997 • Pages: 545-566

By: Santos, Ricardo Ventura, Flowers, Nancy May, Coimbra Junior, Carlos Everaldo Alvares, Gugelmin, Sílvia Angela.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This article revisits an earlier study of ecological variables and socioeconomic change, in which a Xavante community’s involvement in market-related activities was attributed to the combined effects of land scarcity, environmental degradation, and rising food prices. Drawing on updated economic data, the present study argues that greater involvement in wage work and other market-driven activities in the late 1970s and 1980s was largely attributable to government-imposed mechanized rice farming, supported by observation of how, when the rice project collapsed in the early 1990s, the community returned to a more traditional economy based on hunting, gathering, and swidden agriculture.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Tillage
Cereal agriculture
Acculturation and culture contact
Functional and adaptational interpretations
Research and development
Buying and selling
Public welfare
Administrative agencies
Real property
Acquisition and relinquishment of property
Environmental quality
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Xavante
RegionThe area the document pertains to
South America
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Eastern South America
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
article
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Anthropologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Teferi Abate Adem; 2015
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1976-1977, 1994
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1976-1994
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Pimentel Barbosa reservation, Mato Grosso, Brazil
NotesAdditional notes
Ricardo V. Santos, Nancy M. Flowers, Carols E. A. Coimbra, Jr., and Sílvia A. Gugelmin
Includes bibliographical references (p.564-566)
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
72623826
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Xavante Indians