The Yanomami of South America

The Yanomami of South America
Author: Raya Tahan
Publisher: Lerner Publications
Total Pages: 56
Release: 2002-01-01
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9780822548515

Describes the customs, housing, and food of the Yanomami; their daily routine; and what is being done to protect the rain forests they live in.

The Indians of Central and South America

The Indians of Central and South America
Author: James S. Olson
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 534
Release: 1991-06-17
Genre: History
ISBN: 0313368791

At a juncture in history when much interest and attention is focused on Central and South American political, ecological, social, and environmental concerns, this dictionary fills a major gap in reference materials relating to Amerindian tribes. This one-volume reference collects important information about the current status of the indigenous peoples of Central and South America and offers a chronology of the conquest of the Amerindian tribes; a list of tribes by country; and an extensive bibliography of surviving American Indian groups. Historical as well as contemporary descriptions of approximately 500 existing tribes or groups of people are provided along with several bibliographic citations at the conclusion of each entry. The focus of the volume is on those Indian groups that still maintain a sense of tribal identity. For the vast majority of his entries, James S. Olson draws material from the Smithsonian Institution's seven-volume Handbook of South American Indians as well as other classic resources of a broad, general nature. Much attention is also focused on the complicated question of South American languages and on the definition of what constitutes an Indian. Olson's introduction cites dozens of valuable reference works relating to these topics. Following the introduction, this survey of surviving Amerindians is divided into sections that contain entries for each existing tribe or group; an appendix listing tribes by country; the Amerindian conquest chronology; and a bibliographical essay. This unique reference work should be an important item for most public, college, and university libraries. It will be welcomed by reference librarians, historians, anthropologists, and their students.

The Mythology of South America

The Mythology of South America
Author: John Bierhorst
Publisher:
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2002
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

The new afterword focuses on the durability of Indian mythology and the abundant material increasingly available since the mid 80s. Bierhorst offers new information on previously obscure tribes on the mythological map. Includes information on Amazon myth, anaconda, Bird Nester, Bororo Indians, Chorote Indians, Christ, Corn Tree, Cuna Indians, emergence myths, flood myths, fox, Ge Indians, Inca culture, jaguar, Kogi Indians, origin of male domination, Mataco Indians, Mundurucu Indians, Parrot Brides, Quechua Indians, Selknam Indians, Shavante Indians, Shuar Indians, Star Woman, Tehuelche Indians, Toba Indians, Tree and the Flood, trickster, Tupinamba Indians, Twin Myth, Underwater Woman, vulture, Warrau Indians, Wirakocha, Yamana Indians, Yurupari, etc.

Yanomami

Yanomami
Author: Rob Borofsky
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 417
Release: 2005-01-31
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0520938569

Yanomami raises questions central to the field of anthropology—questions concerning the practice of fieldwork, the production of knowledge, and anthropology's intellectual and ethical vision of itself. Using the Yanomami controversy—one of anthropology's most famous and explosive imbroglios—as its starting point, this book draws readers into not only reflecting on but refashioning the very heart and soul of the discipline. It is both the most up-to-date and thorough public discussion of the Yanomami controversy available and an innovative and searching assessment of the current state of anthropology. The Yanomami controversy came to public attention through the publication of Patrick Tierney's best-selling book, Darkness in El Dorado, in which he accuses James Neel, a prominent geneticist who belonged to the National Academy of Sciences, as well as Napoleon Chagnon, whose introductory text on the Yanomami is perhaps the best-selling anthropological monograph of all time, of serious human rights violations. This book identifies the ethical dilemmas of the controversy and raises deeper, structural questions about the discipline. A portion of the book is devoted to a unique roundtable in which important scholars on different sides of the issues debate back and forth with each other. This format draws readers into deciding, for themselves, where they stand on the controversy’s—and many of anthropology’s—central concerns. All of the royalties from this book will be donated to helping the Yanomami improve their healthcare.

Atlas of South America

Atlas of South America
Author: Karen Foster
Publisher: Capstone
Total Pages: 18
Release: 2008
Genre: Maps
ISBN: 1404838872

Features maps and information about the countries, geography, ecology, population, customs, transportation, and ecology of South Africa.

The Amerindians of South America

The Amerindians of South America
Author: Andrew Gray
Publisher: Minority Rights Group
Total Pages: 32
Release: 1987-07-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0946690529

For over 20,000 years a wealth of many cultures flourished in South America, both in the high Andean mountains and the lowland jungles and savannas. But the coming of European invaders from the 15th century onwards, with their relentless colonization, destroyed many indigenous peoples. Indigenous nations lost as many as 90% of their populations within the first 50 years of European contact. Today the deaths and damage continue. Land, the basis of Amerindian life, is continually being taken by governments, multi-national companies and ‘development’ projects. Amerindian language and culture are under attack, sometimes from unscrupulous forms of fundamentalist Christianity. The Amerindians of South America, Minority Rights Group’s new report No. 15, outlines the threats facing Amerindian peoples today and shows how they are resisting ruthless attempts to exterminate them. Written by Andrew Gray, of the International Working Group on Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), based in Copenhagen, this completely new text draws extensively on information largely from indigenous peoples themselves. With sections on Amerindians and colonial history, Amerindian societies and organizations and detailed country profiles, it is supplemented by a map and a list of some of the many indigenous nations. It ends with a vigorous reaffirmation of continuing Amerindian identity in the face of ethnocidal pressures. A radical reappraisal of Amerindian history, The Amerindians of South America reflects the spirit of resistance to colonization and their quest for self-determination. It is essential reading, not only for anthropologists, development agencies, governments and the media but also for all those who are concerned for indigenous peoples and their continuing survival.

The Anthropology of Latin America and the Caribbean

The Anthropology of Latin America and the Caribbean
Author: Harry Sanabria
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 571
Release: 2015-09-16
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317350235

The first single-authored comprehensive introduction to major contemporary research trends, issues, and debates on the anthropology of Latin America and the Caribbean. The text provides wide and historically informed coverage of key facets of Latin American and Caribbean societies and their cultural and historical development as well as the roles of power and inequality. Cymeme Howe, Visiting Assistant Professor of Cornell University writes, “The text moves well and builds over time, paying close attention to balancing both the Caribbean and Latin America as geographic regions, Spanish and non-Spanish speaking countries, and historical and contemporary issues in the field. I found the geographic breadth to be especially impressive.” Jeffrey W. Mantz of California State University, Stanislaus, notes that the contents “reflect the insights of an anthropologist who knows Latin America intimately and extensively.”

The Lowland South American World

The Lowland South American World
Author: Casey High
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 907
Release: 2024-12-12
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1040150527

The Lowland South American World showcases cutting-edge research on the anthropology of Lowland South America, providing both an in-depth knowledge of Lowland South American life ways and engaging readers in urgent social, environmental, and political issues in the contemporary world. Covering the vast expanse of a region that includes all of South America except for the Andes, its 40 chapters engage with questions of what “Lowland South America” means as a geographical designation, both in studies of Indigenous Amazonian peoples and other lowland areas of the continent. They emphasize the multiple ways that local practices and cosmologies challenge conventional Western ideas about nature, culture, personhood, sociality, community, and Indigenous people. Some of the region’s well-known contributions to anthropology, such as animism, perspectivism, and novel approaches to the body are updated here with new ethnography and in light of the varying political situations in which the region’s peoples find themselves. With contributions by authors from 15 different countries, including a number of Indigenous anthropologists and activists, this book will set the agenda for future research in the continent. The Lowland South American World is a valuable resource for scholars and students of anthropology, Latin American studies and Indigenous studies, as well as history, geography and other social sciences.

Ethnic Groups of the Americas

Ethnic Groups of the Americas
Author: James B. Minahan
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 429
Release: 2013-03-14
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1610691644

Intended to help students explore ethnic identity—one of the most important issues of the 21st century—this concise, one-stop reference presents rigorously researched content on the national groups and ethnicities of North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Combining up-to-date information with extensive historical and cultural background, the encyclopedia covers approximately 150 groups arranged alphabetically. Each engaging entry offers a short introduction detailing names, population estimates, language, and religion. This is followed by a history of the group through the turn of the 19th century, with background on societal organization and culture and expanded information on language and religious beliefs. The last section of each entry discusses the group in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, including information on its present situation. Readers will also learn about demographic trends and major population centers, parallels with other groups, typical ways of life, and relations with neighbors. Major events and notable challenges are documented, as are key figures who played a significant political or cultural role in the group's history. Each entry also provides a list for further reading and research.

They Do What?

They Do What?
Author: Javier A. Galván
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2014-06-19
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1610693426

This single-volume work covers many traditions, customs, and activities Westerners may find unusual or shocking, covering everything from the Ashanti people's funeral celebrations to wife-carrying competitions in Finland. In Maharashtra, India, a tradition exists to throw newborn babies off the tops of buildings. At the Vegetarian Festival in Phuket, Thailand, some people ritualistically pierce their cheeks and faces with swords and knives. How did these surprising customs come to be? From camel wrestling to cheese-rolling competitions to a tomato-throwing festival, this fascinating single-volume encyclopedia examines more than 100 customs, traditions, and rituals that may be considered strange and exotic to U.S. readers. This work provides high school and undergraduate students with a compelling and fascinating exploration of world customs and traditions. Comprising entries by anthropologists, religious leaders, scholars, dancers, musicians, historians, and artists from almost every continent in the world, this encyclopedia provides readers a truly global and multidisciplinary perspective. The entries explore the origins of the custom, explain how it was established as a tradition, and describe how and where it is practiced. A thematic guide enables readers to look up entries by the type of tradition or custom, such as birth, coming of age, courtship and wedding, funeral, daily customs, holidays, and festivals.