TheMawé, also known as theSateré orSateré-Mawé, are anindigenous people ofBrazil living in the state ofAmazonas. They have an estimated population of about 13,350.[1] The Sateré-Mawé were the first to domesticate and cultivateguaraná,[1] a popular stimulant.
Glove made of palm leaves, used in initiation rites on display at theMuseum of Ethnology in Vienna
The Sateré-Mawé people intentionally usebullet ant stings as part of theirinitiation rites to become a warrior.[4] The ants are gathered from their homes by the men of the community, while the women and children gather cashew leaves. The ants are first rendered unconscious by submerging them in a natural sedative and then hundreds of them are woven into a glove made out of the cashew leaves (which resembles a large oven mitt),stinger facing inward. When the ants regain consciousness, the boy slips the glove onto his hand. The goal of this initiation rite is to keep the glove on for a full ten minutes. When finished, the boy's hand and part of his arm are temporarilyparalyzed due to the ant venom. In addition to suffering severely extreme and intense pain, he may hallucinate and shake uncontrollably for days. The only "protection" provided is a coating of charcoal on the hands, supposedly to confuse the ants and inhibit their stinging. To fully complete the initiation, however, the boys must go through the ordeal a total of 20 times over the course of several months or sometimes even years.[5]
^Backshall, Steve (6 January 2008)."Bitten by the Amazon".The Sunday Times. London. Archived fromthe original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved21 May 2010.
^Dossey, Aaron T. (2011), Vivanco, Jorge M.; Weir, Tiffany (eds.), "Chemical Defenses of Insects: A Rich Resource for Chemical Biology in the Tropics",Chemical Biology of the Tropics: An Interdisciplinary Approach, Signaling and Communication in Plants, vol. 8, Springer, pp. 27–57,doi:10.1007/978-3-642-19080-3_3,ISBN978-3-642-19080-3
Alvarez, Gabriel O. Pós-dradiviano: parentesco e ritual. : sistem de parentesco e rituais de afinabilidade os sateré-mawé. Série Antropologia (Brasília, Brazil), no.403. Brasília: Departamento de Antropologia,Universidade de Brasília, 2006.
Garfield, S. (2022).Guaraná: How Brazil Embraced the World’s Most Caffeine-Rich Plant. University of North Carolina Press.
Gordon, Nick, Hildy Rubin, and Jessica Siegel. Gremlins Faces in the Forest. Nature video library. South Burlington, VT: WNET/Thirteen, 1998. (video - Satere Mawe customs involving marmosets)
Groes-Green, Christian. Courageous Caterpillars and Images of the Whiteman: Storytelling and Exchange as Indigenous Strategies in the Face of Discrimination in Manaus, Brazil. MA Thesis, Department of Anthropology. Copenhagen: University of Copenhagen (Denmark), 2002.
Lattas, Andrew. "Anthropological Knowledge, Secrecy and Bolivip, Papua New Guinea: Exchanging Skin."Ethnos 74.3 (2009): 433-435.doi:10.1080/00141840903305075
Lorenz, Sônia da Silva. Sateré-Mawé: os filhos do guaraná. Coleção Projetos, 1. São Paulo, SP, Brasil: Centro de Trabalho Indigenista, 1992.
Salzano F. M., T.A. Weimer, M.H.L.P. Franco, and M.H. Hutz. "Demography and Genetics of the Sateré-Mawé and their Bearing on the Differentiation of the Tupi Tribes of South America."Journal of Human Evolution 14.7 (1985): 647-655.doi:10.1016/S0047-2484(85)80073-7
Vilaça, Aparecida, and Robin Wright.Native Christians: Modes and Effects of Christianity Among Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. Vitality of indigenous religions. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate, 2008.
Brazil (
Amazonas)
