Book

The Wanano Indians of the Brazilian Amazon: a sense of space

University of Texas PressAustin • Published In 1993 • Pages:

By: Chernela, Janet Marion.

Abstract
This work is a study of the Wanano Indians, a Native American society located in the Uaupés River Basin in the northwest Amazon of Brazil. This group is characterized by a distinct language, name, ancestral history, rigidly bounded descent groups, and ascribed social statuses. In Wanano terms these amount to vertical and horizontal 'placements', and it is in this latter aspect -- the system of placement or rank -- upon which this book focuses (p. 1). In addition to the author's two theoretical models by means of which she attempts to explain ranked society, this document contains an abundance of data on the political significance of intergroup marriage, European-Indian contacts, the effects of missionization on Wanano society, social organization, kinship, songs, ecology, the economy, and inter-sib conflicts.
Subjects
History
Linguistic identification
Real property
Gift giving
Status, role, and prestige
Kinship terminology
Clans
culture
Tukano
HRAF PubDate
1998
Region
South America
Sub Region
Amazon and Orinoco
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 1996
Field Date
1978-ca.1980
Coverage Date
1616-ca.1980
Coverage Place
Wanano Indians; Yapima village, Uaupés River Basin, northwest Amazon, Brazil
Notes
Janet M. Chernela
Includes bibliographical references (p. 167-175) and index
LCCN
92004734
LCSH
Tukano Indians