Yaruro people

Yaruro
Pumé

Pumé
Pumé man and woman in the Venezuelan savanna on a hunting and gathering trip (photo by Russell D. Greaves)
Total population
(7,269 (2001))
Regions with significant populations
Venezuela
Languages
Pumé, Spanish
Religion
traditional tribal religion

Yaruro people (Pumé) are Circum-Caribbean tribe and indigenous people of Venezuela. They live in the savanna plains of Venezuela called the Llanos, located west of the Orinoco River.

The Pumé people are divided into two subgroups: The River Pumé, living along major river drainages of the Orinoco River, and the more nomadic Savanna Pumé that reside on the Llanos.

The word "Yaruro" was employed by early Spanish explorers and colonists to refer to the Pumé and is still commonly used in Venezuela. The term has been used by neighboring indigenous groups such as the Guahibo, Hiwi, and Chiricoa, who likely are the source of this name adopted by the Spanish. "Yaruro" probably derives from the verb "yoro" in the Pumé language, that means "to give". The term "Yaruro" is pejorative, referring to requests for material goods or food from outsiders perceived as wealthy by the Pumé, and its meaning can be glossed in American English as the "Gimmees". The people refer to themselves as the Pumé (meaning "real human") which also serves as the name of their language. "Yaruro" has been replaced by "Pumé" in most anthropological literature and by some Venezuelan government use that is sensitive to indigenous issues. They have historically also been known by other names such as Llaruro, Yaruru, and Yuapín people.

The Pumé language is unclassified, although it is considered a Macro-Chibchan language. Some good linguistic research has been published on the Pumé language. It is widely spoken by the Pumé people today, especially among Savanna Pumé who are primarily monolingual. Most River Pumé populations have at least some members, primarily men, who are bilingual in Spanish and Pumé. Portions of the Bible were translated into Pumé in 1999.

The Savanna Pumé are a mobile group of hunter-gatherers who shift their primary residence during every dry and wet season. They live in small brush shade structures during the dry season, and more robust structures thatched with palm leaves during the wet seasons. In addition to these two major seasonal moves, the Pumé make temporary camps for fishing, raw material collection, and to stage the moves to their primary wet and dry season camps. River Pumé were formerly slightly nomadic (although not as much as the Savanna Pumé), but currently are sedentary. Many River Pumé now construct more hybrid forms of architecture combining traditional and Criollo-influenced materials and designs.