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Home / Exhibits / Special Exhibits
Fascinating Facts
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Flexible Dorsal Headdress
Karajá Tribe
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Spirits & Headhunters: Vanishing Worlds of the Amazon offers insights into the unique culture and traditions of the different tribes that populate the Amazon in South America. Each tribe has
its own unique lifestyles, rituals and ceremonies.
Amazonian Tribes
The shaman from each tribe can identify and use hundreds of different plants as effective medicine for numerous diseases and ailments. Plant knowledge is also used to put spells on people.
Most of the headdresses and masks are made out of organic materials, such as bark cloth and feathers. They are used once for a specific ceremony and then discarded. They rapidly decay in the hot and
humid climate of the Amazon.
There are less that 100 distinct tribes living in the vast rainforest of the Amazon that still practice their culture today. There used to be more than 500.
Europeans brought with them many diseases, such as measles. These diseases decimated the tribal population to about 100,000 people who still practice their culture. These epidemics still continued into
the late 20th century. Some of the surviving tribes now have less than 100 members.
The Ka’apor Tribe
After marriage, a new husband tends to be isolated within the community until his wife gives birth to their first child. He displays subdued behavior; for example, he will avoid eye contact with the other
men in the village.
After the birth of an infant, the family remains secluded for as long as 15 days and can only eat tortoise and manioc.
Infants are not given a name until they are six months old. Until then, they are not considered to be a member of the tribe. This reflects the high infant mortality rate among the indigenous tribes and a
concern about establishing too much of an emotional bond with a child before its survival is assured.
The Karajá Tribe
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Feather Mosiac Headdress
Karajá Tribe
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The men hunt by beating a poisonous vine in a secluded section of the river to release the poison and paralyze nearby fish.
During the dry season each year, the men build a temporary village on the beach near their fishing grounds.
An eligible bachelor cannot marry unless he owns a canoe. The canoe symbolizes wealth, the ability to take care of his family, and enables him to travel, fish and trade.
The ideal marriage partner is a cousin on the mother’s side who is about the same age.
The Tapirapé Tribe
No family among the Tapirapé is allowed to have more than three children, as the tribe does not have enough food to support large families.
Women of the Tapirapé are subjected to a painful face scarification operation after they are married. This operation is performed by a shaman, who engraves a half-moon design into each cheek and the
chin using a sharpened shell.
The Shuar Tribe
During the 19th century, the Shuar became infamous among Europeans for their elaborate process of shrinking heads.
The Shuar believe that the world they dwell in is a false world. According to the Shuar, the real world can be accessed through the ingestion of hallucinogens.
Shipibo Conibo
The Shipibo-Conibo believed that beautiful designs and beautiful songs can cure diseases.
Kayapo tribe
The Kayapo tribes live in central Brazil south of the Amazon River, between the Tocantins and the Araguaia Rivers to the east and the Tapajos River to the west.
All the Kayapo refer to themselves as the Mebengokre, “people of the space between waters.”
The Xingu Area Tribes
The most important ritual among the Upper Xingu tribes is the Kuarup, a multi-purpose ritual during which the spirits of recently deceased are celebrated, eligible young women are introduced and men
participate in wrestling matches. This major celebration is the core of the cultural and spiritual life of the Upper Xingu area tribes.
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