Yanomami of Venezuela and Brazil

Below are resources related to the “Yanomami of Venezuela and Brazil” chapter of Native Nations: The Survival of Indigenous Peoples, 3rd Edition, edited by Sharlotte Neely and Douglas W. Hume.

The Yanomami’s struggle for cultural survival is a constant battle, see for example the numerous recent new stories about them.

Agencies & Organizations

Discussion Questions

  • Anthropologists tend to view themselves as the defenders of Indigenous Peoples. Among the Yanomami there developed a controversy within the discipline of anthropology over whether anthropologists were helping or exploiting the group. Briefly outline the main issues in this controversy.
  • What do you think the truth of the matter is?

Documentary Films

Further Reading


Contemporary Yanomami People

Davi Kopenawa
Davi Kopenawa at 2014 International Literary Festival of Paraty (Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil [CC BY 3.0 BR]).

Yanomami Historical Range

Yanomami Historical Range Map
Yanomami location in South America (Javierfv1212 [CC BY-SA]).

Yanomami Ethno-historical Photograph

Yanomami Woman and Child
Yanomami Woman and Child (Cmacauley [CC BY-SA]).

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