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Yanesha' people

Yanesha'
Amueshas1.jpg
Yanesha' girls of the Peruvian Amazon
Total population
(10,000 (2000))
Regions with significant populations
 Peru
Languages
Yanesha, Spanish
Religion
traditional tribal religion

The Yanesha' or Amuesha people are an ethnic group of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. Presently, the most recent census count puts their population at over 7,000 distributed among 48 communities located in Puerto Inca Province (Huánuco), Chanchamayo Province (Junín) and Oxapampa Province (Pasco). They are a relatively small group, making up barely 2.91% of indigenous inhabitants located in the Peruvian Amazon. Their communities are situated in altitudes ranging from 200 to 1600 meters above sea level and can also be found along the shores of various rivers including the Pichis, Palcazu, Pachitea, Huancabamba, Cacazú, Chorobamba, and the Yurinaqui Rivers.

The Yanesha' are also known as Amage, Amagues, Amaje, Amajo, Amoishe, Amueixa, Amuese, Amuesha, Amuetamo, Lorenzo, and Omage.

The Yanesha people speak Yanesha', a language belonging to the Maipurean language family, that also includes Asháninka, Yine, and others. A dictionary and grammar have been published in Yanesha', which is written in the Latin script.

The tribe's first contact with non-native people came through friars who, in the second half of the 16th century, made an incursion into the region. However, it was not until the 18th century that missionaries (this time Franciscans) managed to establish steady relations with the Yanesha’ and other ethnic groups living nearby. Father Francisco de San José founded various missions around Cerro de la Sal and Quimiri in order to convert the indigenous populations to Christianity. However, in 1742, indigenous people commanded by Juan Santos Atahualpa rebelled against the Spaniards and destroyed a number of missions, effectively cutting off outside contact for several decades.


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Wikipedia

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