Huaorani Cultural Boundaries
Huaorani of Ecuador
Jenee Martin
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Jorge Garcia-Herreros
02/11/2013
Huaorani of Ecuador
The Huaorani of Ecuador are one of the smallest Ecuadorian tribes and have historically dwelt in the remotest eastern region of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Comprising roughly 2,500 people who live in “temporary settlements in an area of almost 20,000 sq. km, completely covered by rain forest, they are surrounded by related and alien tribes/ethnic groups with a total population of an estimated 150,000” (National Geographic, 2003).
Living in the Amazonian rainforest, they are one of the most isolated ethnic groups on earth. The natural resources in the area in which they live, most notably petroleum, has generated unwanted attention from the outside and compelled them to be fierce defenders of their territories and their way of life. This research paper will explain how life in the Amazon itself, the beliefs and values of the Huaorani, kinship relations, and social changes of these people effect the way they think, live and act in order to survive and maintain a strong culture. Additionally, it will emphasize the role that economics and international politics plays in the lives of the Huaorani people.
Life in the Amazon
Many of the Huaorani, indigenous people of the Ecuadorian Amazon, live like their ancestors did centuries ago. They are hunters, gatherers and horticulturalists. Much of their food, their clothes and their cures for illnesses come from the forest which is rich with diverse plants, fruits and nuts. Along with the food they gather from hunting and foraging, they plant gardens to sustain themselves and their families. Their ancestral territory, Yasuni National Park, “is home to the most biodiverse forest known on earth” (Finer, & Huta, 2005). In recognition of its biodiversity and cultural heritage, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) formally designated Yasuní National Park a
Jenee Martin
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Jorge Garcia-Herreros
02/11/2013
Huaorani of Ecuador
The Huaorani of Ecuador are one of the smallest Ecuadorian tribes and have historically dwelt in the remotest eastern region of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Comprising roughly 2,500 people who live in “temporary settlements in an area of almost 20,000 sq. km, completely covered by rain forest, they are surrounded by related and alien tribes/ethnic groups with a total population of an estimated 150,000” (National Geographic, 2003).
Living in the Amazonian rainforest, they are one of the most isolated ethnic groups on earth. The natural resources in the area in which they live, most notably petroleum, has generated unwanted attention from the outside and compelled them to be fierce defenders of their territories and their way of life. This research paper will explain how life in the Amazon itself, the beliefs and values of the Huaorani, kinship relations, and social changes of these people effect the way they think, live and act in order to survive and maintain a strong culture. Additionally, it will emphasize the role that economics and international politics plays in the lives of the Huaorani people.
Life in the Amazon
Many of the Huaorani, indigenous people of the Ecuadorian Amazon, live like their ancestors did centuries ago. They are hunters, gatherers and horticulturalists. Much of their food, their clothes and their cures for illnesses come from the forest which is rich with diverse plants, fruits and nuts. Along with the food they gather from hunting and foraging, they plant gardens to sustain themselves and their families. Their ancestral territory, Yasuni National Park, “is home to the most biodiverse forest known on earth” (Finer, & Huta, 2005). In recognition of its biodiversity and cultural heritage, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) formally designated Yasuní National Park a
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