Enawenê-Nawê
The Enawenê-Nawê are a small people in the Amazon region ( Mato Grosso , Brazil) who live from fishing and collecting. They were first contacted by Vicente Cañas in 1974 and still live very isolated. Today they number about 500 members and live in large community houses ( malocas ). They are especially famous for their fishing technique. To do this, they build large dams in the rivers and spend several months in camps in the forest, where they catch and smoke fish, which they then transport to their villages with the help of canoes. They also feed on cassava, corn and forest fruits. Every year there is a big honey festival ( keteoko ). What is unusual is that the Enawenê-Nawê neither hunt nor eat meat.
Problems
For several decades, rubber tappers, diamond speculators, cattle breeders and, more recently, soy farmers have invaded the land of the Enawenê-Nawê. The André Maggi Group , the largest soy company in the world, built a road on their land in 1997 without authorization. It was subsequently closed by a federal prosecutor. The Enawenê-Nawê are fighting to keep their country from being further destroyed. Another big problem that people are now facing is the construction of up to 80 dams, which were planned by the government of the state of Mato Grosso. These are to be built in the land of the Enawenê-Nawê. Since they do not eat meat and fish is their main source of food, they now see their livelihoods endangered by the construction of the dams.