Kiabi people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1,855 (2010) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Brazil ( Mato Grosso) |
|
| Languages | |
| Kayabí | |
| Religion | |
| traditional tribal religion |
The Kayabí or Kaiabi are an indigenous people of Brazil inhabiting the northern state of Mato Grosso. The primarily live in the Xingu Indigenous Park and the Indian Reservation of Apiaká-Kayabi south of Pará. There are approximately 1300 Kayabí living on the Xingu Indigenous Park. They are known by a number of names; Caiabi, Parua, Maquiri, Kawaiwete and many more romanizations of the word Kaiabi.
Though residing on a reservation with 14 other indigenous groups, the Kayabi still remained very much heterogeneous. They maintained their traditional way of life, and practiced their customs unchanged for centuries. It was this longing for the preservation of culture and life that mandated the Kayabi left their native lands and seek shelter and protection. During colonial times indigenous peoples had their villages disseminated, raided and even destroyed if located on resource rich lands. Many men were killed and women forced into slavery during these acts of ethnocide. Countless fell ill to diseases the Europeans brought with them, for example smallpox, measles, chicken pox, tuberculosis, yellow fever, and other forms of the flu virus.
They are known by a number of names; Caiabi, Parua, Maquiri, Kawaiwete and many more romanizations of the word Kaiabi.
The Kaiabi people along with other indigenous peoples occupied large areas within Brazil. In relatively self-reliant villages all along the coast of Brazil and mouth of the amazon, these people thrived as fisherman, hunters and farmers. The ever increasing presence of Europeans systematically caused a cultural hemorrhage of the Kaiabi People.
In 1961 after centuries of forced contact and inhumane treatment at the hands of European settlers and companies, an area was finally allocated for the indigenous peoples of Brazil who faced the same grievances as the Kaiabi. An indigenous reserve comprising about 6.9 million acres of land that today houses about 5,500 inhabitants, including 1,000 Kaiabi, from 17 different clans; Parque Indígena do Xingu.
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Wikipedia