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Akuntsu

April 10, 2024

The Akuntsu (also known as Akunt'su or Akunsu) are an indigenous people of Rondônia, Brazil. Their land is part of the Rio Omerê Indigenous Territory, a small indigenous territory which is also inhabited by a group of Kanoê. The Akuntsu were victims of a massacre perpetrated by Brazilian cattle ranchers in the 1980s and currently number just three individuals.[1][2] It is unlikely that the Akuntsu language or culture will survive after their deaths, leading several observers to describe them as victims of genocide.[3][4][5][6]

Akuntsu
Total population
3 (2022)[1]
Regions with significant populations
 Brazil ( Rondônia)
Languages
Akuntsu
Religion
Animism
Related ethnic groups

Culture edit

The Akuntsu are primarily hunter-gatherers, but supplement their diet with some swidden agriculture. Game is particularly abundant in their reserve because it acts as a refuge for animals whose habitats have been destroyed by deforestation in the surrounding area.[7] The Akuntsu have a typical material culture for the region[8] and practice various shamanic rituals.[9] The Akuntsu language is spoken only by members of the tribe and not fully understood by any outsider.[10] It belongs to the Tuparí language family.[11]

Pre-contact history edit

The Akuntsu are considered an "isolated tribe" by the Brazilian government, having only recently come into contact with global state societies. They were not officially contacted by the Fundação Nacional dos Povos Indígenas (FUNAI) until 1995. The word Akuntsu is an exonym applied to the tribe by the Kanoê, who were contacted shortly before the Akuntsu, meaning roughly "other Indians". The nearby Tupari are also recorded as knowing of a group called the 'Akontsu' or 'Wakontsón' whom they had never visited. In both cases, the Akuntsu had a reputation for being "dangerous" and seemingly had little contact with neighbouring indigenous peoples.[12] In an incident that took place some time before 1996, a Kanoê family, the sole survivors of a massacre, attempted to contact the Akuntsu to find marriage partners. The Akuntsu resisted these overtures and in the conflict that followed a Kanoê woman was killed by the Akuntsu. Although one of the Kanoê did become pregnant by an Akuntsu man, tensions continued and the Kanoê eventually moved away from the Akuntsu at the suggestion of FUNAI workers.[13]

Before official contact, the Akuntsu had violent confrontations with colonists, loggers and cattle ranchers who began entering their land in the 1970s, after the construction of a highway. The seven survivors encountered in 1995 reported an attack by armed cattle ranchers some time around 1990, in which the majority of the tribe was killed. Several of the survivors possessed scars and bullets lodged in their body. FUNAI had previously discovered the site of the massacre: an Akuntsu village, home to around 30 people,[14] which had been bulldozed in an attempt to cover up the evidence. At least fifteen were killed in this attack, which is thought to have been motivated by the knowledge that if the Akuntsu were officially contacted the forest would be declared an indigenous reserve and closed off to logging and cattle ranching.[3][15][16][5]

Post-contact history edit

A FUNAI team had been attempting to make contact with isolated indigenous groups in Corumbiara since 1985, following reports made the previous year. Farmers in the area, however, consistently denied the presence of any indigenous people in the area and FUNAI issued the opinion that if uncontacted tribes had been there, they had since moved on. In December 1986, a state interdiction on the area that had been put in place for FUNAI to conduct its search was lifted and farmers, cattle ranchers and loggers were able to resume legal expansion into the forest. The leader of the FUNAI team, however, continued searching and in 1995 encountered the Kanoê who in turn informed them of the Akuntsu. When an expedition finally made official contact with the Akuntsu in October of that year the tribe numbered seven: two men, three adult women and two young girls.[15] The 26,000 hectare Igarapé Omerê Indigenous Territory was created for the Akuntsu and Kanoê, but the area of protected forest is still threatened by loggers and cattle ranchers which FUNAI have been unable to eject.[5] In January 2000, the youngest girl died when a tree fell on her father's house during a storm.[16] In October 2009, the oldest member of the group, Ururú, died.[17] In 2016, the shaman and chieftain of the Akunstu, Konibu, died in his sleep, bringing the remaining population down to three.[18]

It is considered unlikely that the Akuntsu language or culture will survive following the deaths of the tribe's remaining members.[4] For this reason several observers have described the tribe as the victims of genocide.[3][5][6] The neighbouring Kanoê have been similarly reduced in number through contact with settlers,[19] as were the people of the so-called Man of the Hole, an individual living alone in the Igarapé Omerê reserve who was believed the sole survivor of his tribe.[20][21]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Akuntsu". Survival International. 2022-08-30. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  2. ^ Anderson, Jon Lee (8 August 2016). ""An Isolated Tribe Emerges from the Rain Forest"". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
  3. ^ a b c Survival International. "Leader and last ever shaman of tiny Amazon tribe dies in Brazil". Survival International. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  4. ^ a b Survival International. "Akuntsu: The future". Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  5. ^ a b c d Adam's, Guy (13 October 2009). "Decline of a tribe: and then there were five". The Independent. from the original on 2009-10-15. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  6. ^ a b Vincent Carelli (Director) (2009). Corumbiara: They Shoot Indians, Don't They? (in Portuguese). Vídeo nas Aldeias.
  7. ^ Instituto Socioambiental (ISA). "Productive activities > Akuntsu". Povos Indígenas no Brasil. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  8. ^ Instituto Socioambiental (ISA). "Material culture > Akuntsu". Povos Indígenas no Brasil. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  9. ^ Instituto Socioambiental (ISA). "Ritual > Akuntsu". Povos Indígenas no Brasil. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  10. ^ Watson, Fiona (13 October 2009). "We're watching an extinction in a lifetime". The Independent. from the original on 2009-10-15. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  11. ^ "Akuntsu: Introduction." Povos Indígenas no Brasil. Retrieved 16 Feb 2012.
  12. ^ Instituto Socioambiental (ISA). "Name > Akuntsu". Povos Indígenas no Brasil. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  13. ^ socio ambiental.org; "Stories of before official contact"
  14. ^ "Akuntsu - Indigenous Peoples in Brazil".
  15. ^ a b Instituto Socioambiental (ISA). "Contact history > Akuntsu". Povos Indígenas no Brasil. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  16. ^ a b Instituto Socioambiental (ISA). "Population > Akuntsu". Povos Indígenas no Brasil. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  17. ^ Survival International (19 October 2009). "Amazon tribe down to five as oldest member dies". from the original on 25 January 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  18. ^ Reel, Monte (2022-09-13). "The Last Member of an Uncontacted Tribe". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  19. ^ Instituto Socioambiental (ISA). "Introduction > Kanoê". Povos Indígenas no Brasil. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  20. ^ Survival International (9 December 2009). "Last survivor of uncontacted Amazon tribe attacked". Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  21. ^ Strange, Hannah (11 December 2009). "'Man in the Hole', lone survivor of Amazon tribe massacre, escapes ranchers' bullets". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 8 March 2011.

External links edit

  • Akuntsu - Survival International

April 10, 2024
akuntsu, also, known, akunt, akunsu, indigenous, people, rondônia, brazil, their, land, part, omerê, indigenous, territory, small, indigenous, territory, which, also, inhabited, group, kanoê, were, victims, massacre, perpetrated, brazilian, cattle, ranchers, 1. The Akuntsu also known as Akunt su or Akunsu are an indigenous people of Rondonia Brazil Their land is part of the Rio Omere Indigenous Territory a small indigenous territory which is also inhabited by a group of Kanoe The Akuntsu were victims of a massacre perpetrated by Brazilian cattle ranchers in the 1980s and currently number just three individuals 1 2 It is unlikely that the Akuntsu language or culture will survive after their deaths leading several observers to describe them as victims of genocide 3 4 5 6 AkuntsuTotal population3 2022 1 Regions with significant populations Brazil Rondonia LanguagesAkuntsuReligionAnimismRelated ethnic groupsKanoe Contents 1 Culture 2 Pre contact history 3 Post contact history 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksCulture editThe Akuntsu are primarily hunter gatherers but supplement their diet with some swidden agriculture Game is particularly abundant in their reserve because it acts as a refuge for animals whose habitats have been destroyed by deforestation in the surrounding area 7 The Akuntsu have a typical material culture for the region 8 and practice various shamanic rituals 9 The Akuntsu language is spoken only by members of the tribe and not fully understood by any outsider 10 It belongs to the Tupari language family 11 Pre contact history editThe Akuntsu are considered an isolated tribe by the Brazilian government having only recently come into contact with global state societies They were not officially contacted by the Fundacao Nacional dos Povos Indigenas FUNAI until 1995 The word Akuntsu is an exonym applied to the tribe by the Kanoe who were contacted shortly before the Akuntsu meaning roughly other Indians The nearby Tupari are also recorded as knowing of a group called the Akontsu or Wakontson whom they had never visited In both cases the Akuntsu had a reputation for being dangerous and seemingly had little contact with neighbouring indigenous peoples 12 In an incident that took place some time before 1996 a Kanoe family the sole survivors of a massacre attempted to contact the Akuntsu to find marriage partners The Akuntsu resisted these overtures and in the conflict that followed a Kanoe woman was killed by the Akuntsu Although one of the Kanoe did become pregnant by an Akuntsu man tensions continued and the Kanoe eventually moved away from the Akuntsu at the suggestion of FUNAI workers 13 Before official contact the Akuntsu had violent confrontations with colonists loggers and cattle ranchers who began entering their land in the 1970s after the construction of a highway The seven survivors encountered in 1995 reported an attack by armed cattle ranchers some time around 1990 in which the majority of the tribe was killed Several of the survivors possessed scars and bullets lodged in their body FUNAI had previously discovered the site of the massacre an Akuntsu village home to around 30 people 14 which had been bulldozed in an attempt to cover up the evidence At least fifteen were killed in this attack which is thought to have been motivated by the knowledge that if the Akuntsu were officially contacted the forest would be declared an indigenous reserve and closed off to logging and cattle ranching 3 15 16 5 Post contact history editA FUNAI team had been attempting to make contact with isolated indigenous groups in Corumbiara since 1985 following reports made the previous year Farmers in the area however consistently denied the presence of any indigenous people in the area and FUNAI issued the opinion that if uncontacted tribes had been there they had since moved on In December 1986 a state interdiction on the area that had been put in place for FUNAI to conduct its search was lifted and farmers cattle ranchers and loggers were able to resume legal expansion into the forest The leader of the FUNAI team however continued searching and in 1995 encountered the Kanoe who in turn informed them of the Akuntsu When an expedition finally made official contact with the Akuntsu in October of that year the tribe numbered seven two men three adult women and two young girls 15 The 26 000 hectare Igarape Omere Indigenous Territory was created for the Akuntsu and Kanoe but the area of protected forest is still threatened by loggers and cattle ranchers which FUNAI have been unable to eject 5 In January 2000 the youngest girl died when a tree fell on her father s house during a storm 16 In October 2009 the oldest member of the group Ururu died 17 In 2016 the shaman and chieftain of the Akunstu Konibu died in his sleep bringing the remaining population down to three 18 It is considered unlikely that the Akuntsu language or culture will survive following the deaths of the tribe s remaining members 4 For this reason several observers have described the tribe as the victims of genocide 3 5 6 The neighbouring Kanoe have been similarly reduced in number through contact with settlers 19 as were the people of the so called Man of the Hole an individual living alone in the Igarape Omere reserve who was believed the sole survivor of his tribe 20 21 See also editAwa Brazil Genocide of indigenous peoples in Brazil Indigenous rights Survival InternationalReferences edit a b Akuntsu Survival International 2022 08 30 Retrieved 2022 12 24 Anderson Jon Lee 8 August 2016 An Isolated Tribe Emerges from the Rain Forest The New Yorker Retrieved 2016 09 04 a b c Survival International Leader and last ever shaman of tiny Amazon tribe dies in Brazil Survival International Retrieved 24 August 2016 a b Survival International Akuntsu The future Retrieved 8 March 2011 a b c d Adam s Guy 13 October 2009 Decline of a tribe and then there were five The Independent Archived from the original on 2009 10 15 Retrieved 8 March 2011 a b Vincent Carelli Director 2009 Corumbiara They Shoot Indians Don t They in Portuguese Video nas Aldeias Instituto Socioambiental ISA Productive activities gt Akuntsu Povos Indigenas no Brasil Retrieved 8 March 2011 Instituto Socioambiental ISA Material culture gt Akuntsu Povos Indigenas no Brasil Retrieved 8 March 2011 Instituto Socioambiental ISA Ritual gt Akuntsu Povos Indigenas no Brasil Retrieved 8 March 2011 Watson Fiona 13 October 2009 We re watching an extinction in a lifetime The Independent Archived from the original on 2009 10 15 Retrieved 8 March 2011 Akuntsu Introduction Povos Indigenas no Brasil Retrieved 16 Feb 2012 Instituto Socioambiental ISA Name gt Akuntsu Povos Indigenas no Brasil Retrieved 8 March 2011 socio ambiental org Stories of before official contact Akuntsu Indigenous Peoples in Brazil a b Instituto Socioambiental ISA Contact history gt Akuntsu Povos Indigenas no Brasil Retrieved 8 March 2011 a b Instituto Socioambiental ISA Population gt Akuntsu Povos Indigenas no Brasil Retrieved 8 March 2011 Survival International 19 October 2009 Amazon tribe down to five as oldest member dies Archived from the original on 25 January 2011 Retrieved 8 March 2011 Reel Monte 2022 09 13 The Last Member of an Uncontacted Tribe The New Yorker Retrieved 2022 12 24 Instituto Socioambiental ISA Introduction gt Kanoe Povos Indigenas no Brasil Retrieved 8 March 2011 Survival International 9 December 2009 Last survivor of uncontacted Amazon tribe attacked Retrieved 8 March 2011 Strange Hannah 11 December 2009 Man in the Hole lone survivor of Amazon tribe massacre escapes ranchers bullets The Sunday Times Retrieved 8 March 2011 External links editAkuntsu Survival International Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Akuntsu amp oldid 1166966485, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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