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kayapo indians


            The society I chose that is isolated from modern developments and advancement are the Kayapo Indians. Kayapo Indians live in the Amazon River Basin of Brazil , with villages that are along the Xingu River. Their territory is made up of mostly tropical rain forests. The name Kayapo was given to the tribe by neighboring Indian tribes. The word kayapo means "resembling apes" and was probably given because sometimes the men dance in monkey masks. The Kayapo are known for their beautiful body painting and their warrior dances. The women are the custodians of the traditions and they refuse to speak any other language apart from Kayapo. Traditionally, the Kayapo men wear discs in their lower lip. A small incision is made and a disk inserted. As time goes by the disks become progressively larger. Body adornment symbolizes many things in their Native American society. Ear plugs symbolize receptivity to others, while a lip plug symbolizes assertiveness. .
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             The Kayapo are also a highly evolved group ecologically, exemplifying living in balance with the ecosystem. They cultivate many types of plants utilizing biological pest control. They domesticate and classify the insect life. All parts of the surrounding jungle are utilized by them for practical and medicinal purposes. The Kayapo belong to the Ge linguistic group that reside around the southern tributaries of the Amazon. They represent an ancient culture of seasonal farmers and gatherers. During the rainy season they live in highly complex wheel-shaped villages in the scrub and savanna. During the dry season they break up into smaller bands and disperse into a wider area. .
             The Kayapo Indians where able to keep themselves isolated since the arrival of the Portuguese. Their society were able to stay unaffected by all the changes that took place in Brazil since then. Isolation can be made an option by the group or it leaders. Also isolation is also a case of the existence of geographical conditions that made isolation possible.


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