The Culture of the Huaorani of Ecuador
The Culture of the Huaorani of Ecuador
“In the Eastern part of Ecuador stretches el Oriente, the jungle. Between the Napo and Curaray Rivers are 600,000 hectares of land that is the home of the Huaorani, feared warriors of the Amazon Rainforest. This territory includes Yasuni National Park, one of the most bio-diverse places on the planet. Unfortunate for the Huaorani, it also includes hundreds of kilometers of oil pipes and several oil company stations that are having a devastating effect on this fragile tropical ecosystem” (Cuna, 2007, para. 1). Due to encroachment on their territory by outsiders, there are fewer than 2,000 Huaoranis left today. In this paper, I will provide an overview, as well as analyze and evaluate how the foraging mode of substance impacts the Huaorani through the following aspects of culture: Beliefs and values, Gender relations, and kinship.
“The Huaorani were contacted only 50 years ago. Before that time, these hunter-gatherers were roaming in small groups on an area three times bigger than their present day territory. Recently, the Ecuadorian government granted the Huaorani communal rights over their current territory. However, the government maintains ownership of the minerals and oil that lie beneath; thus the Huaoranis do not fully own their land” (Cuna, 2007, para 2). The Huaorani are a semi-nomadic horticultural society and are considered foragers as they hunt for animals and gather fruits and berries. They move from area to area based on availability of food sources and plant crops no matter where they go. “They are a secluded group of people within the rainforest of Ecuador and are not familiar with normal Ecuadorian culture” (Lu, F. E., 2001). Although the rainforests are slowly disappearing, the Huaorani continue to embrace most their own distinct culture and way of life.
The beliefs and values of the Huaorani are distinctive and based on their environment. According to the book, Nature & Social Theory, “the
“In the Eastern part of Ecuador stretches el Oriente, the jungle. Between the Napo and Curaray Rivers are 600,000 hectares of land that is the home of the Huaorani, feared warriors of the Amazon Rainforest. This territory includes Yasuni National Park, one of the most bio-diverse places on the planet. Unfortunate for the Huaorani, it also includes hundreds of kilometers of oil pipes and several oil company stations that are having a devastating effect on this fragile tropical ecosystem” (Cuna, 2007, para. 1). Due to encroachment on their territory by outsiders, there are fewer than 2,000 Huaoranis left today. In this paper, I will provide an overview, as well as analyze and evaluate how the foraging mode of substance impacts the Huaorani through the following aspects of culture: Beliefs and values, Gender relations, and kinship.
“The Huaorani were contacted only 50 years ago. Before that time, these hunter-gatherers were roaming in small groups on an area three times bigger than their present day territory. Recently, the Ecuadorian government granted the Huaorani communal rights over their current territory. However, the government maintains ownership of the minerals and oil that lie beneath; thus the Huaoranis do not fully own their land” (Cuna, 2007, para 2). The Huaorani are a semi-nomadic horticultural society and are considered foragers as they hunt for animals and gather fruits and berries. They move from area to area based on availability of food sources and plant crops no matter where they go. “They are a secluded group of people within the rainforest of Ecuador and are not familiar with normal Ecuadorian culture” (Lu, F. E., 2001). Although the rainforests are slowly disappearing, the Huaorani continue to embrace most their own distinct culture and way of life.
The beliefs and values of the Huaorani are distinctive and based on their environment. According to the book, Nature & Social Theory, “the
References: Beckerman, S. et al, (2009). Life histories, blood revenge, and reproductive success among the Waorani of Ecuador. Supporting Information. Retrieved from http://www.pnas.org/content/suppl/2009/05/11/0901431106.DCSupplemental/0901431106SI.pdf Cuna, L Franklin, A. (2001). Nature and Social Theory. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/docDetail.action?docID=10076780&p00=huaorani Lu, F. E. (2001). The Common Property Regime of the Huaorani Indians of Ecuador: Implications and Challenges to Conservation Rival, Laura M. (2002). Trekking Through History: The Huaorani of Amazonian Ecuador. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/docDetail.action?docID=10183370&p00=huaorani