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.

Abstract
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.
Subjects
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
culture
Xavante
Region
South America
Sub Region
Eastern South America
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Anthropologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Teferi Abate Adem; 2015
Field Date
1976-1977, 1994
Coverage Date
1976-1994
Coverage Place
Pimentel Barbosa reservation, Mato Grosso, Brazil
Notes
Ricardo V. Santos, Nancy M. Flowers, Carols E. A. Coimbra, Jr., and Sílvia A. Gugelmin
Includes bibliographical references (p.564-566)
LCCN
72623826
LCSH
Xavante Indians