Kumenê
Place in North, Brazil
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kumenê (also Ukumene[2]) is a Palikur Amerindian village in the Brazilian municipality of Oiapoque, Amapá. It is the largest village of the tribe.[3][4][5] Kumenê is located on the Urucaua River[5] in the Uaçá Indigenous Territory.[6]
Overview
The area around the Urucaua River is the ancestral territory of the Palikur.[7] In 1965, two linguists of the Summer Institute of Linguistics arrived in Kumenê to learn the language. They stayed for about 11 years, and founded the first school.[3]
[n the 1980s, pastors from the Assembly of God of Macapá arrived and started to convert the population.[8] They built a church and banned shamanism, traditional dances, nudism, and caxixi, a local alcoholic beverage. Nowadays, the village is Pentecostal.[8]
The village contains the health centre for the region.[8] The houses in the village are built on stilts.[9] In 2017, there was a malaria outbreak in the region.[10]
Kumenê can only be reached by boat, and is located about seven hours from Oiapoque.[8] Monte Carupina, a 325 metres (1,066 ft) high mountain, is located near the village.[11]
