The Bakairi Indians of Brazil: Politics, Ecology, and Change

For over twenty-five years, Debra Picchi has documented how the Bakairí Indians have addressed and endured change. This up-close portrayal of how a remarkable indigenous people of Brazil has managed to hold on to many of their traditions after years of contact with mainstream Brazilian culture is written in a down-to-earth, conversational style, yet does not avoid complex issues. The original edition represented one of the first ethnographies on South American Indians to espouse political ecology explicitly as a theoretical orientation. Expanded coverage in the second edition includes material on the theory of political ecology, different methodological approaches used to collect data on populations, the latest archaeological findings taking place in Brazil, how Bakairí gender constructs have changed over the last 100 years, and the effects of population increases, mechanized production, and wealth accumulation. Both accessible and rigorous, Picchi packs much information into a slim volume, which serves as a reminder of the value of long-term fieldwork and demonstrates that research is as much about process as it is about product. Text includes reader’s study guide.