Figure 1.--Here we see the Yagua people of Peru wearing traditional clothing for a dance. The skirts are made from palm fibers.

The Yagua are a widely disbursed Amazonian tribe inhabiting a small area in northeastern Peru around Iquitos--the Loretto region. Many of the Native Americans in the areaxwerec brohjt to the region by the rubber brons. ThecYagua are native to the region. While now a small group, it is unclear how large they were before the Conquest. Legend has it that the Yagua are responsible for the mame of the Amaon River. The Spanish Conquistadores saw the Yagua men with their blowguns and grass skirts and thought they were women warriors. Thus the river was named based upon the Greek myth of the Amazon women warriors. The Yagua have their own destinct language. It is the only surviving living language of the Peba-Yagua linguistic family. The other related languages (Peba, Masamae and Yameo) are now extinct. Yagua is in many ways a unique language. Linguists are intrigued by its morphology and syntax. The tribe only numbers about 3,000 members today. They now live along the Amazonian tributaries (Napo, Putumayo and Yavari Rivers and the tributaries of those ribers. In recent years some Yagua have migrated northward from Peru into Colombia and are living near Leticia in southern Colombia. There are about 30 communities, mostly in Peru. Like other Amazonian tribes, the Yagua have a simple lifestyle. The women engage in small-scale agriculture. The men hunt small game and fish. Traditional clothing is still worn. The men wear skirts made of aguaje palm fiber. The women typically wear simple skirts of red cotton cloth. This is a modern innovation. Earlier the women also wore palm fiber skirts. Girls marry early. Many have achild in their early teens. Yagua society is a large extended family. Each member has his or her responsibility for group welfare.

Created: 8:05 PM 12/26/2011
Last updated: 8:05 PM 12/26/2011