Wirö
Indigenous people in Venezuela and Colombia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Venezuela: 345[1] (2020) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Venezuela, Colombia | |
| Languages | |
| Wirö language | |
| Religion | |
| Indigenous religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Piaroa |
The Wirö are an Indigenous people of Venezuela and eastern Colombia. In 2020, 345 Wirö lived in Venezuela and none lived in cities.[1]
Language
The Wirö speak the Wirö language, a Piaroa–Saliban language that is closely related to Piaroa. The two languages are somewhat mutually intelligible.[2]
Names
They are also known as the Mako-Wirö, Sáliba-Maco, Itoto, and Jojod.
Territory
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The Wirö live in the Orinoco Basin, particularly in mountainous areas near the Piaroa and Salibá people.[3]
Piaroa oral history states the Wirö originally lived through the basin of the Anaveni River, between the Uniana and Sipapu mountains.[4] The Wirös' name for their place of origin is Wirö Märiweka.[5] In 1830, they lived near the Piaroa, Mapoyo, Yabarana, Guahibo, and Puinavi peoples.[6] In 1945 and 1948, anthropologists noted that the Wirö lived along tributaries to the Ventuari River between the Guapuchí and Maigualida rivers.[7] In the 1950s, they lived along tributaries of the Marieta River, and by 1958 they lived along the Sipapo and Manapiare rivers.[7]
Culture
Historically, they produced curare,[8] a poison used on arrow tips to temporarily paralyze animals when hunting.
They were trading partners with the Piaroa and provided peramán (a type of resin) and torches.[4] They are often confused with the Piaroa since they share many cultural practices.[9]
They share the Warime ceremony with the Piaroa, which involves wearing masks and playing flutes. Warime likely predates European contact and is related to the Yurupari ceremony.[10] They also celebrate the harvest of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) and other fruits in masked ceremonies.[11]