Who Are the Korubo?
The Korubo are an indigenous people of the Javari Valley in western Amazonas state, Brazil, numbering approximately 150-200 contacted individuals plus an unknown number of uncontacted groups. They speak Korubo, a Pano language. Known by outsiders as "caceteiros" (clubbers) for their traditional war clubs, the Korubo remained largely uncontacted until the late 1990s. They inhabit one of the Amazon's most remote regions within the Vale do Javari Indigenous Territory, the second-largest indigenous reserve in Brazil. Multiple isolated Korubo groups remain uncontacted, protected by FUNAI's (Brazil's indigenous affairs agency) policy of minimal intervention.
Recent Contact History
The Korubo avoided sustained contact with outsiders until 1996, when FUNAI established peaceful contact with one group following deadly encounters with loggers and settlers. Prior contacts in the 1970s-1980s had resulted in violence on both sides. The 1996 contact brought medical care (necessary due to introduced diseases) but also cultural disruption. Some Korubo groups have since been contacted; others remain isolated by choice. The violent pre-contact encounters gave the Korubo a fearsome reputation, but subsequent understanding has revealed a people defending their territory from encroachment. This recent contact makes the Korubo among the last indigenous peoples to enter sustained interaction with Brazilian society.
Traditional Life
Traditional Korubo life centered on hunting, fishing, and gathering in the dense rainforest of the Javari Valley. They cultivated small gardens with manioc, banana, and other crops. Their distinctive war clubs (borduna), carved from heavy palm wood, served for hunting and warfare. Body painting with urucu (annatto) and genipap marked identity and ceremony. The Korubo lived in communal malocas (longhouses). Knowledge of this traditional lifestyle comes primarily from the contacted groups; uncontacted Korubo continue these practices. The Javari Valley's isolation—far from roads and settlements—has preserved both the forest and the Korubo way of life.
Contemporary Korubo
Modern Korubo face the challenge of maintaining their way of life while adapting to limited contact with Brazilian society. FUNAI maintains a presence in the region, providing medical care and attempting to limit outside incursion. Illegal fishing, logging, and drug trafficking threaten the Javari Valley. The COVID-19 pandemic posed severe risks to recently contacted and isolated peoples. Debates continue about contact policy—whether to contact isolated groups (to protect them from violent encounters with outsiders) or maintain isolation (respecting their apparent choice). How the Korubo—both contacted and uncontacted groups—navigate the pressures of the modern world shapes this club-bearing people's uncertain future.
References
- Survival International. \"Korubo\" in Uncontacted Tribes
- FUNAI (Fundação Nacional do Índio). Vale do Javari Documentation
- Coutinho Jr., W. (1993). \"The Korubo: A People in Transition\"