As a conclusion of
history, the Kayapo’s way of life, more specifically agriculture, has been
changed and innovated. Throughout the Kayapo’s generations of people, war has
become lesser of an issue. How does this contribute to the aspects of the
Kayapo’s way of conducting agriculture? Well, it can be explained like this:
war changes what the needs of the people are. If there is war, more resources
would be demanded for the war effort. Poro, in the Kayapo’s language, means
field. Certain Poro’s were distinct, and still are, to their particular
culture. One distinct agricultural technique was called Nomadic Agriculture.
“Trailside plantings, forest fields, war gardens, and apete form part of the
ancient Kayapo-Nomadic Agricultural system” (Posey 1983a, 1985b). This system
allowed soldiers to scavenge and find food on their long journeys, and on war
raids. As the wars died away, Nomadic Agriculture was slowly becoming abandoned.
No long treks would mean that there would be no need to continue that system.
However, regular agriculture is still flourishing in all of the Kayapo
villages. In conclusion, only a few older people of the tribes and villages can
fully describe Nomadic Agriculture in detail.
Respectively, the Kayapo culture has gained some ground
in how long they have been a tribe, but their risks also increase. Since the
Kayapo creates such a large community, their land is exposed to more and more
threats of environmental destruction. To explain just how big, “Nine Kayapo
villages are scattered throughout the territory, creating a 28.4 million acre
home for more than 5,000 people ( www.actionbioscience.org).
Two aspects of the tribes’ culture are their ecosystems. These ecosystems
consist of tropical Rainforests and grassland. The three major risks that
threaten these lands are pollution, land invasion, and hydroelectric dams. On
the topic of pollution, as the Xingu River flows near the grasslands, resources
for food and water are regularly effected. Also, illegal trading and selling of
their land has occurred over time. This has amounted to harsh relations with
neighboring tribes. How are the Kayapo supposed to take care of, or live off of
a land that they don’t have? Finally, along the Xingu River, governments from
Brazil have been articulating plans for building hydroelectric dams. If these
were installed, the homes of some of the members would be no more. Furthermore,
resources would be damaged for those living down the stream. How? According to www.actionbioscience.com,
“…disturb fish populations, and damage terrestrial ecosystems.” As their
resources deplete, so could their population.
Throughout years of constant tilling, planting, and
harvesting the land is far worn. Furthermore, the land might be lacking the
proper stability to sustain more crops. To solve this problem the Kayapo use
the technique of shifting cultivation. This means that the land might only be
utilized for a couple of years at a time. This will give the land time to
breathe and refresh, so to speak. How could the Kayapo go without crops for two
years? They do not. They proceed to another piece of land to harvest until the
other has replenished. Perceptively, it is an efficient cycle. In respect to
the topic of the Kayapo’s land choice and location, the Central Brazilian
Plateau is where they make their settlement. To put this into a graphical
perspective, that would be approximately 300 to 400 meters above sea level.
Surrounding this area, there would typically be small hills skewed about the
land, as well as small creeks and pools. These pools get their water from large
rivers that cut through the land. In addition, multiple small rivers go unnamed
because of the magnitude of them. But, the layout of the territory, in all,
consists of many, many rivers.
Just as beautiful as the land itself, the weather in
Central Brazil has its eloquences as well. Unlike the United States, the
seasons only come with two options: winter and summer. However, they are
usually classified differently. For example, winter would actually be called
the dry season. Assuming that harvesting activities decrease, and people would
start storing up for this time of year. This starts in May, and ends in
October. In contrast, the season of summer (also known as the rainy season)
would typically run from November to April. The major differences between these
two seasons lies in the characteristics of the weather. The dry season is
followed by hot days, but cool night and winds. The benefit of this particular
time of year is the lack of mosquitoes. Despite how hot it may be, the Kayapo
actually prefer this season over the other. “Good weather” is what they call it.
As one could imagine, the rainy season consists of “torrential” rainfall and
pesky mosquitoes. Especially when the rivers and creeks grow, many different
kinds of insects find their way around the territory. Its rain index reaches
high numbers, depending on what part of the land is being referred to. It could
range from 1,900 to 2,500mm. This is in the stretch of the north-east to the
south-east. Despite heavy rain fall, this could very well be helpful in the
crops growth, and plentiful harvest.
Kayapó. (n.d.). Retrieved October
29, 2015.
Indigenous Peoples of the World:
The Kayapo. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2015.
YOu might need to work on the colors -- the references, I mean. They look kind of weird, and the sizes too. I suppose those things can be worked out?
ReplyDelete