Maxakali

Maxakali, South American Indians speaking related languages of the Maxakali branch of the Macro-Ge language family. The tribes—Maxakali, Macuní, Kumanaxo, Kapoxo, Pañame, and Monoxo—live in the mountains near the border between the Brazilian estados (“states”) of Minas Gerais and Bahia, near the headwaters of the Itanhém River. Over the past century the Maxakali have moved progressively eastward from their original home along the upper Mucuri River. The Maxakali numbered about 400 in the late 20th century.

At the time of the first contact between the Maxakali and the Portuguese, the Maxakali were established agriculturists. They raised corn (maize), sweet potatoes, and beans; some of the groups raised cassava and cotton, which they harvested with simple weighted digging sticks. The Maxakali supplemented their agricultural produce by hunting a variety of forest animals and birds and by gathering fruits, nuts, seeds, and the like.

Traditionally, the Maxakali lived in dome-shaped single-family houses made of palm fronds matted over a framework of branches anchored in the ground. They made fibre from the inner bark of the embauba tree and used it to make nets, baskets, bags, hammocks, and cord. They made and used bows and arrows, as well as an assortment of other weapons. They were familiar with and used a wide variety of pharmacologically active substances, including fish poisons and hallucinogens.