The Wariʼ, also known as the Pakaa Nova, are an Indigenous people of Brazil, living in seven villages in the Amazon rainforest in the state of Rondônia.
Population and locations
Up until the 19th century, the Wariʼ were present in the Amazon's Southeast, namely the basin of the Lage River (a right-bank-tributary river of the Mamoré River), the Ouro Preto river, the Gruta and Santo André creeks, the Negro river (all tributaries of the lower and middle courses of the right bank of the Pakaa Nova River), and the Ribeirão and Novo rivers (tributaries of the left bank of the Pakaa Nova River).
In the early 20th century, continuous incursions by neo-Brazilians in search of rubber trees forced the Wariʼ to relocate to the less accessible headwaters of the Mamoré River. They were confined in that area until pacification. Today, they live in eight settlements located in the state of Rondônia, Brazil.
In the native language, Txapuakura, is the closest word to the body and must be used in conjunction with a possessive suffix (his, her, its). Husband and wife are considered to share the same body, furthermore, all who live together are consubstantial. Vilaça describes kwere- as a “way of being.” For example, a person's temperament is caused by their kwere-, an animal's diet is attributed to its kwere-, and the wind's strength originates from its kwere-. Vilaça asserts that this human/non-human parallel suggests a relationship to a “wider cosmological process.” By this time, the body had typically begun to decompose in the heat and humidity of the Amazon, sometimes reaching the stage where the body became bloated and discolored.
This practice continued until the 1960s. Today, Wariʼ do not practice any form of cannibalism. As a result, the Serviço de Proteção ao Índio (SPI) began to attempt contacting the Wari' people.
Disease outbreaks and war over land from outsiders caused the population of the Wari' to reduce by nearly 50%.