Ethnic group
Gavião| Total population |
|---|
| 220 (1990s) |
| Regions with significant populations |
|---|
| Rondônia |
| Languages |
|---|
| Gavião of Jiparaná |
| Related ethnic groups |
|---|
| Arara and Zoró |
TheGavião, also known as theIkoro orDigút, are anindigenous people native toRondônia,Brazil. Their population was around 220 in the 1990s. Their language,Gavião of Jiparaná, is aTupian language in theMonde branch.[1]
Like the closely relatedArara andZoró, the Gavião traditionally lived on agriculture and hunting, but their traditional lifestyle was disrupted by rubber booms in Rondônia during the 20th century. They declined dramatically through epidemics and violence in the 1940s, and their population dropped below 100 people. In the 1966, theNew Tribes Mission introduced medical care, and the population increased to over 200 in the 1980s. The Brazilian government established boundaries around their traditional land in 1977, although growth and development in Rondônia continues to threaten them.[1]
