The Waodani People
They Have Different Names:
The Waodani people have several different names. They are often referred to as the Waodani, Huaorani, Waorani or just simply the Waos. They represent an indigenous group located in Ecuador and inhabiting some parts of Peru.
They are Isolated:
They are a diverse, isolated group. It is hypothesized that they are descendants of, or divergent of Zaporoan groups. However, anthropologist Laura M. Rival asserts that they are a separate group. She claims that by maintaining access to the headwaters of the Tiputini river the Waodani also maintained their own identity. The Waodani being a separate group unrelated to the other indigenous populations can be further supported by the fact that the Waodani speak an isolated language unrelated to other indigenous languages through South America. They are "an isolated, territorially discrete, small-scale, and culturally and linguistically homogeneous society since pre-conquest times".
They are Nomadic and Spiritual:
They are a nomadic people, moving across and through the rainforest on the ground or in trees. Their history is vague, for the Waodani do not separate myth and fact nor to they quantify the passing of time.
The Waodani are known as a fierce people. Their mythology and values are held together by a predator-prey mentality. The Huaorani feel they are victimized and preyed upon by outsiders. Yet, they often disregard their own violence towards their own kin. The Huaorani regard warfare as an inevitable and cyclical outcome of social reproduction: growth is not sustainable past a certain level.
They are Threatened:
The Waodani, once an uncontacted group, have been affected by the hunt for oil and the destruction of the rainforest. They have also been touched by Protestant missionaries. We'll be elaborating on all of these topics in individual blog posts.
They are Isolated:
They are a diverse, isolated group. It is hypothesized that they are descendants of, or divergent of Zaporoan groups. However, anthropologist Laura M. Rival asserts that they are a separate group. She claims that by maintaining access to the headwaters of the Tiputini river the Waodani also maintained their own identity. The Waodani being a separate group unrelated to the other indigenous populations can be further supported by the fact that the Waodani speak an isolated language unrelated to other indigenous languages through South America. They are "an isolated, territorially discrete, small-scale, and culturally and linguistically homogeneous society since pre-conquest times".
They are Nomadic and Spiritual:
They are a nomadic people, moving across and through the rainforest on the ground or in trees. Their history is vague, for the Waodani do not separate myth and fact nor to they quantify the passing of time.
The Waodani are known as a fierce people. Their mythology and values are held together by a predator-prey mentality. The Huaorani feel they are victimized and preyed upon by outsiders. Yet, they often disregard their own violence towards their own kin. The Huaorani regard warfare as an inevitable and cyclical outcome of social reproduction: growth is not sustainable past a certain level.
They are Threatened:
The Waodani, once an uncontacted group, have been affected by the hunt for oil and the destruction of the rainforest. They have also been touched by Protestant missionaries. We'll be elaborating on all of these topics in individual blog posts.
Welcome to the iCross Cultural Citizen Project: The Struggle for the Waodani Soul
Works Cited:
Rival, Laura M. Trekking through History: The Huaorani of Amazonian Ecuador. New York: Columbia UP, 2002. Print.
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