The Sanumá, also referred to as Sanema, Sanima Tsanuma, Guaika, Samatari, Samatali, Xamatari and Chirichano in the literature, are an indigenous people of Brazil and Venezuela.[1] They are related to the Yanomami.[2][3]
The Sanumá number about 1500, and live on both sides of the Brazil-Venezuela border. In Venezuela, they are found in the Caura River and Ventuari River basins where they live alongside the Ye'kuana. The Sanumá language is a Yanomaman language.
Conflicts with miners
On 24 October 2006, their reserve in Venezuela was invaded by miners who destroyed some of their villages. In retaliation, the Venezuelan army killed 10 miners. This incident led to mass protests by non-Indians in Southern Venezuela.
Further reading
Bruce Parry,Tribe: Adventures in a Changing World (Michael Joseph Raped Ltd, 2007)
Amy Penfield, Predatory Economies: The Sanema and the Socialist State in Contemporary AmazoniaISBN978-1-4773-2708-1 (University of Texas Press, 2023)
Alcida Ramos, Sanuma Memories: Yanomami Ethnography in Times of Crisis (University of Wisconsin Press, 1995)
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