The Yanomami: A History of De-Indigenization Social Research Paper

Running head: THE YANOMAMI1
The Yanomami: A History of De-Indigenization
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THE YANOMAMI

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The Yanomami: A History of De-Indigenization
1. Introduction
For decades, indigenous peoples and lands have raised several controversies about human and land rights. The Americas and Australia, in New World, Africa and Asia, in Old World, are a case in point. The colonizer, typically a European – Portuguese, Spanish, British, French, German and Dutch – settled in a “new land” already inhabited by indigenous populations. The colonization and settlement process was not, in fact, peaceful and often involved wiping out entire local populations for different political, economic and cultural factors. Politically, Europe’s emergence as world’s preeminent continent around late 1400s gave rise to several maritime, commercial and military expeditions. Economically, discovering new and unlimited sources of income regions European powers embarked on a centuries-long economic competition over human and natural resources in newfound New World. Culturally, European powers clashed – often violently – with indigenous populations only to result in extinction or near extinction of whole communities under one common banner of modernization. The intrusion by European powers into indigenous lands and capturing many in slavery is an all too common story. Today, eliminating indigenous ways of lives continues albeit in subtler and systematic ways. Specifically, land use commercialization and unsustainable development of remote, indigenous areas has made de-indigenization of local habits, ways of life and lands a new form of colonization albeit under new economic development banners. The Yanomami, an indigenous group currently inhabiting a region between Brazil and Venezuela, has been experiencing for long decades a similar pattern. To better understand how colonization, in old and new forms, has had an impact on The Yanomami, a closely examination is required.
THE YANOMAMI

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Specifically, colonization, particularly settlement and economic activities, are explored to examine a possible enduring negative influence of centuries-old colonization of The Yanomami’s lands and, more importantly, ways of life. Informed by a four directional model addressing spiritual, emotional, physical and intellectual aspects, current report aims to discuss colonization’s contribution to de-indigenize The Yanomami’s ways of local life and lands and offer, hopefully, ways to reverse centuries-old practices.
2. The Yanomami: The State of Past and Present Intrusions
The Yanomami lives in an area of over 9.6 million hectares in Brazil and 8.2 million hectare Alto Orinoco in Venezuela (“The Yanomami,” n.d.). The Yanomami, just as all indigenous communities, used to sustain a unique way of life completely isolate from modern civilization only to experience dramatic change upon first modern contact. In 1940s, a combination of Brazilian government’s intrusions (due to border issues with Venezuela), involvement of Indian Projection Service and activities of missionary groups has started a chain-reaction-series of events le...