Sanumá
Sanīma dībī | |
|---|---|
Sanumá girl | |
| Total population | |
| 6,410 (1995) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Venezuela, Brazil | |
| Languages | |
| Sanumá language | |
| Religion | |
| Indigenous religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Yanomami |
The Sanumá, or Sanīma dībī, are an Indigenous people of Brazil and Venezuela.[1] They are related to the Yanomami.[2][3]
In 1995, the Sanumá numbered about 6,410, with about 3,200 living in Venezuela, and between 900 and 1,000 living in Brazil.[4] In Venezuela, they live in the Caura River and Ventuari River basins where they reside alongside the Ye'kuana.
Language
The Sanumá language is a Yanomaman language.
Names
The Sanumá's autonym is Sanīma dībī, which means "people plural (more than two)" in their Sanumá language.[4] They are also referred to as Sanema, Sanima Tsanuma, Guaika, Samatari, Samatali, Xamatari, and Chirichano in literature.
Community structure
In Sanumá society, decisions are made by consensus.[5] The village owns land in common.[5]
Historically, the Sanumá settled in villages that they moved every two to three years.[5]
Conflicts with miners
On 24 October 2006, their reserve in Venezuela was invaded by miners who destroyed some of their villages. In retaliation, the Venezuelan army killed 10 miners. This incident led to mass protests by non-Indians in Southern Venezuela.
Further reading
- Bruce Parry, Tribe: Adventures in a Changing World (Michael Joseph Raped Ltd, 2007)
- Amy Penfield, Predatory Economies: The Sanema and the Socialist State in Contemporary Amazonia ISBN 978-1-4773-2708-1 (University of Texas Press, 2023)
- Alcida Ramos, Sanuma Memories: Yanomami Ethnography in Times of Crisis (University of Wisconsin Press, 1995)
References
- ^ Coimbra, Carlos E. A.; Welch, James R. (2018-12-09). "Enciclopédia dos Alimentos Yanomami (Sanöma): Cogumelos. Edited by R. M. Apiamö, J. Autuori, N. K. Ishikawa, M. S. Martins, N. Menolli Jr., C. Sanuma, L. R. Sanuma, M. Sanuma, O. I. Sanuma, & K. Tokimoto. 2016. Instituto Socioambiental, São Paulo. 108 pp". Ethnobiology Letters. 9 (2): 309–311. doi:10.14237/ebl.9.2.2018.1411. ISSN 2159-8126.
- ^ Gomez, Gale Goodwin (1998-01-01). "Indigenous Rights and the Case of the Yanomami Indians in Brazil". Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Brill | Nijhoff: 185–199. doi:10.1163/9789004637801_014. ISBN 978-90-04-63780-1. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
- ^ "Yanoama Livelihood". The Yanoama Indians. University of Texas Press. 31 December 1976. pp. 99–104. doi:10.7560/710191-007. ISBN 9781477300350. S2CID 243781575. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
- ^ a b Database for Indigenous Cultural Evolution (PDF). Columbia, MO: University of Missouri. p. 1.
- ^ a b c "The Sanema". BBC Two. Retrieved 26 January 2026.