Who Are the Makushi?
The Makushi (Macuxi, Makuxi) are an Arawakan-speaking indigenous people of the Guiana Highlands, numbering approximately 30,000-35,000 across Brazil and Guyana. They speak Makushi, a language of the Cariban family. The Makushi inhabit the Rupununi savanna of Guyana and the adjacent Roraima state of Brazil, a distinctive landscape of open grasslands interspersed with gallery forests and mountains. They traditionally practiced a combination of agriculture, fishing, hunting, and cattle ranching adapted from colonial-era missions. The Makushi are known for their sophisticated ecological knowledge of the savanna environment.
Raposa Serra do Sol
The Makushi in Brazil gained international attention through the Raposa Serra do Sol land rights struggle. This territory in Roraima state was the subject of decades of conflict between indigenous peoples and rice farmers. In 2009, Brazil's Supreme Court ruled in favor of continuous indigenous territory, requiring removal of non-indigenous farmers. The decision was controversial but represented a major victory for indigenous land rights. The Makushi and their Wapishana, Ingarikó, Taurepang, and Patamona neighbors now manage this territory. The case became a landmark in Brazilian indigenous rights jurisprudence.
Savanna Ecology
Makushi ecological knowledge reflects millennia of living in the distinctive Rupununi savanna. They recognize numerous ecosystem types within what outsiders might see as uniform grassland. Fire management historically shaped the landscape, creating conditions favorable to hunting and certain plants. Traditional agriculture focused on cassava cultivation on forest islands within the savanna. Knowledge of medicinal plants, game animal behavior, and seasonal cycles guided subsistence activities. Contemporary conservation initiatives increasingly incorporate Makushi traditional knowledge. The savanna ecosystem, shaped by centuries of indigenous management, is now recognized as a cultural landscape.
Contemporary Makushi
Modern Makushi navigate different political contexts in Brazil and Guyana. In Guyana, Makushi communities in the Rupununi are among the country's largest indigenous groups, with active participation in national politics and development. Tourism, particularly to Surama and other villages, provides income. In Brazil, the Raposa Serra do Sol demarcation provides land security, though conflicts continue. Cattle ranching, introduced by missionaries, remains economically important. Education has expanded, with some Makushi achieving university degrees. Language maintenance faces pressures from Portuguese and English. How the Makushi maintain cultural identity while engaging with national societies on both sides of the border shapes their cross-national future.
References
- Forte, J. (1996). Makushi Ethnobotany
- Rival, L. (2002). Trekking Through History: The Huaorani of Amazonian Ecuador
- Santilli, P. (2001). Pemongon Patá: Território Macuxi