Guarani Indians

The Guarani is an indigenous group living in the eastern lowland area of South America, with a population of about 80,000. It is believed that the Guaranis originated in the area of the Amazon River, then started to move south and inland (www.hollowear.com). They now reside in Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil and their language is spoken by nearly 4 million people. (www.bartleby.com).

There currently are three main sub-divisions of the Guarani tribes. Those are the Mbya, the AvaGuarani, and the Pay Tavytera, although they seem very cultured, they carry many of the traditional cultural elements of the land around them (www.museobarbero.org). They cling to their religious traditions and feel that what the earth-touches symbolizes its ethnicity.

One of the three main tribes, The Mbya, can be found in the northern area of East Paraguay. The Mbya identify with their peers, the same way as their ancestors used to, through the remembrance of the tambeao, which is a woven garment made by the ancestors; eating habits and linguistic expressions (www.socioambiental.org). Despite the various types of pressures that the Guarani have faced and suffered over the past couple of centuries, and with the separation of their villages, the Mbya began to see themselves as a different group from the rest of the Guarani (www.museobarbero.org). The Mbya have a good religious background, which allows them to see their peers as equals, and to fully respect the lands that surround them.

The Guaycuru of the South maintained the southern area from Villeta until Corrientes. The Guaycuru were always in search of horses and the livestock, because of their inter-ethnical fights, in hopes to defend themselves. That was until the end of the eighteenth century. The last of the three main tribes is the Ava-Guarani, who can be found in the southern part of the Venezuelan Plains (www.museobarbero.org).

When the Spaniards established their place in Asuncion, the Guarani looked to form an alliance with the Spaniards (www.museobarbero.org). They wanted to because their river was constantly being threatened by surrounding tribes and they figured it they formed an alliance with the Spaniards, it would help to protect them, their family and their land. In way to get the Spaniards to form an alliance with the Guarani, the Guarani gave them corn and other food, as well as servants.

The Guaranis are farmers, cultivating mainly corn, sweet potatoes, manioc root, tea, etc. Their handicraft is known to portray the forest and its living beings, and their basket weaving is seen to portray repeating patterns of snake skins, leopards and other animals. Also, shapes of animals are also represented through the makings of wood and clay objects. As you can see, the Guaranis believe that the environment that surrounds them is an import factor in their life.

. Spirituality is shown through their daily chores, but it is mainly expressed through music. Through their music, they portray the sounds of their environment, using instruments like flutes and percussions. Although their material culture was not advanced, Guaranн songs, dances, and myths make up a rich of folklore (www.encylopedia.com). Their music represents a valuable part of their culture and reflects their spiritual belief

However, the Guarani Indians are extremely silent. It is through their native language, with their legends, beliefs, music and expressions that it is possible to preserve their ancient knowledge (www.bartleby.com).

The Guaranis are typically short and stout, light colored and average a little over five feet tall. The men of the tribes wear only g-strings, with labrets on the lower lip and feather crowns on their head; and the women wear woven garments that cover the whole length of their body (www.newadvent.com).

The Guarani are widely known for the involvement in the early Jesuit missions of Paraguay (www.newadvent.com). The Jesuit missions were established to help protect the indigenous tribes of South America from being victimized in the slave trade. For about 150 years, the Jesuits had succeeded in keeping the Guaranis safe from the slave hunters. They founded several missions or "reducciones". They put into practice the study of the Gospel and helped isolate the Guaranis from "bad" European influence. The first settlement was founded in 1609. Many other Missions were established along the rivers, in the Chaco, Guaira and Paranб territories (www.gosouthamerica.about.com). The first missions were founded in Brazil, but due to the raids of slave hunters, were soon abandoned (1640s.) (www.newadvent.com).

The missions were laid out in a uniformed way. The buildings were grouped in a central square, consisting of a church, store-houses and the dwellings of the Indians outlined the other three sides. Each family had their own apartments, but shared the common grounds of their homes with about a hundred other families. The dwellings were mostly made out of clay and cane, but sometimes were made of stone. The churches were made of stone or fine wood and had elaborate sculptures, tall towers and altars (www.newadvent.com). The homes that housed the priests, stables, workshops and the hospitals were mostly made of adobe or cane, which had homemade furniture and artwork (www.newadvent.com).

Every member of the reducciones had specific jobs. The men were in charge of hunting, fishing and agriculture and the women were left to plant the crops. In addition to the cultivation of crops, agriculture and stock rising, each men had their own gardens that needed to be maintained. The assignment of individual fields were based on groupings led by caciques (chiefs). Each village included Guarani factions or cliques ranked according to their seniority within the village. Some villages contained as many as twenty or thirty caciques along with their cliques (http://www.findarticles.com/2).

Each clique consisted of thirty to forty families. The amount of land assigned to each clique depended on the group's seniority, and its number of members. Each clique received enough land to satisfy its individual members' needs, making it unnecessary

to seek land in other areas.

These private gardens provided the families with their own food, and were also used as a form of currency, allowing them to purchase necessary goods only found in the shops (www.newadvent.com). The Guaranis, like I said, were known for their weaving, but also specialized in carpentry and building boats. Both the men and women had become familiar with medicine. Learning the many ways to cure illnesses and wounds with the many things found in nature. In recent times, however, hunting and fishing have decreased in importance, and men have become much more active in agriculture. Both men and women