The Yanomami people are an indigenous tribe (also called Yanamamo, Yanomam, and Sanuma) made up of four subdivisions of Indians which live in the tropical rain forest of Southern Venezuela and Northern Brazil. Each subdivision has its own language. The Yanomami tribe currently consists of approximately 32,000 to 38,000 people. The first report of the Yanomami is from 1654, when a Spanish expedition under Apolinar Diaz de la Fuente visited some Ye’kuana people living on the Padamo River.
Yanomami live in large circular communal houses called ‘yano’ or ‘shabono’, which can accommodate up to 400 people
The Yanomami live in large circular communal houses called ‘yano’ or ‘shabono’, which can accommodate up to 400 people. For traditional shabono, the central space covers a diameter of about 80-90m and the peripheral covered area about 10m. The central zone is used for community activities such as rituals, parties and games. Each family has their own bonfire where they prepare and cook food during the day. At night they hang the hammocks near the fire. The circular (or sometimes rectangular) shape allows for an open and common space in its center, visible to all inhabitants and protected from the outside by the palisade structure.
The shabono are temporary dwellings conditioned by their environment. Within an area of about 10 kilometers around their village, the Yanomami live by hunting, fishing or gathering. When the game in the territory starts to run out, the gardens are no longer fertile or the framework starts to rot (often about every 5 years), the Yanomami move. Otherwise, the Shabono is rebuilt, its diameter being adapted to the needs of the community.
The shabono are temporary dwellings conditioned by their environment
The Yanomami believe strongly in equality among people. Each community is independent from others and they do not recognize ‘chiefs’. Decisions are made by consensus, frequently after long debates where everybody has a say. Like most Amazonian tribes, tasks are divided between the sexes. Men hunt for game like peccary, tapir, deer and monkey, and often use curare (a plant extract) to poison their prey. Women tend the gardens where they grow around 60 crops which account for about 80% of their food. They also collect nuts, shellfish and insect larvae.
For traditional shabono, the central space covers a diameter of about 80-90m and the peripheral covered area about 10m
The circular (or sometimes rectangular) shape allows for an open and common space in its center, visible to all inhabitants and protected from the outside by the palisade structure
