Foto: Beto Ricardo, 2002

Kalapalo

  • Other names
  • Where they are
    MT
  • How many
    385 (Ipeax, 2011)
  • Linguistic family
    Karib

Introduction

Village life among the Kalapalo – one of the Karib-speaking groups in the Upper Xingu region – varies according to the seasons. During the dry season, which lasts from May to September, food is abundant and public rituals take place, which usually involve a great deal of music and the participation of members from other villages. During the rainy season, food becomes scarce and village relations are confined to those between households and relatives. In the multiethnic context of the Indigenous Park of the Xingu, the Kalapalo have played a prominent role in actively patrolling its borders, preventing the invasion of neighboring cattle ranchers.