Homeland of the Shuar

The Amazonian Native American tribe of the Shuar people is the second largest and one of the best known tribal groups of their region. Their homeland is southeast Ecuador and small parts of Peru, near the border of Ecuador.

 In Ecuador they are mainly found between the Pastaza and Marañón Rivers. They are directly over the mountains from Cuenca, a city of Ecuador. These areas are beautiful tropical rain forests and some grassy flat lands. The families consists of (usually) a husband, two wives, and their children in huts made from palm fronds.

The attached photo is a sacred place for the Shuar people, and it is being threatened by mining companies.

Sources:

http://histclo.com/chron/na/sa/ama/tribe/j/jivaro.html

http://lisaleaks.com/2013/02/10/to-get-the-gold-they-will-have-to-kill-every-one-of-us/

History of the Shuar Culture

The Shuar people are indigenous to the tropical rain forests and savannas in Ecuador and Peru. In their language, Shuar means "people". These people first came to worldwide attention in the late 19th century for their bizarre ritual of head hunting.

The Shuar people are known warriors, and they tend to hunt for their enemies heads and shrink them to about the size of an orange! They would even consider a victory incomplete if they did not bring back a few "trophy" heads. But getting back to the history of this culture, much of their history before being discovered is unknown.

It is known that their tribe entered history in 1549, when the spanish came in contact with them. The Spanish attempted to conquer this tribe, but encountered hostile Shuar forces. Another attempt was met with cooperation from the Shuar, however this lasted only briefly. The Shuar people liked their independence and rebelled against the Spaniards, resulting in 30,000 Spanish deaths, and regained their freedom. To this day the Shuar people remain free, and in 1964 a governing body was set up, known as the Shuar Federation.

Introduction/Index

Hi, everyone! My name is Eric Lollis. I am a sophomore at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. This blog is going to be dedicated to the culture of the Shuar people, who are indigenous Amazonian Native Americans. The Shuar people reside in Ecuador and Peru, living in tropical rain forests and savannas. This tribe of people are known warriors, as they have fought to keep their independence throughout the last few centuries. In this blog you will find information on this culture, such as their history, migration, and cultural survival. The following are links to the corresponding weekly posts:

History

Homeland

World (How they make a living)

Cosmos

Birds

Neighbors

Migration

Cultural Survival

References