The Indians of Central and South America: An Ethnohistorical DictionaryAt a juncture in history when much interest and attention is focused on Central and South American political, ecological, social, and environmental concerns, this dictionary fills a major gap in reference materials relating to Amerindian tribes. This one-volume reference collects important information about the current status of the indigenous peoples of Central and South America and offers a chronology of the conquest of the Amerindian tribes; a list of tribes by country; and an extensive bibliography of surviving American Indian groups. Historical as well as contemporary descriptions of approximately 500 existing tribes or groups of people are provided along with several bibliographic citations at the conclusion of each entry. The focus of the volume is on those Indian groups that still maintain a sense of tribal identity. For the vast majority of his entries, James S. Olson draws material from the Smithsonian Institution's seven-volume Handbook of South American Indians as well as other classic resources of a broad, general nature. Much attention is also focused on the complicated question of South American languages and on the definition of what constitutes an Indian. Olson's introduction cites dozens of valuable reference works relating to these topics. Following the introduction, this survey of surviving Amerindians is divided into sections that contain entries for each existing tribe or group; an appendix listing tribes by country; the Amerindian conquest chronology; and a bibliographical essay. This unique reference work should be an important item for most public, college, and university libraries. It will be welcomed by reference librarians, historians, anthropologists, and their students. |
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The Indians of Central and South America: An Ethnohistorical Dictionary James S. Olson No preview available - 1991 |
Common terms and phrases
acculturated agriculture Amazon Amazonas Amazonian América Indígena American Amerindians Amerindians who live Anthropologist ARAONA Aymara Bolivia Brazil Brazilian Indian CAMPA Colombia conquest contact with neo-Brazilian Darcy Ribeiro David Maybury-Lewis disease early Eastern Ecuador ethnic European faladas do Brasil Gran Chaco group of Amerindians grupos étnicos Guahibo Guatemala Guaymí headwaters Indian Park Indians of Brazil isolated Jesuit Jívaro KADUVEO Karib Kayapó laborers large numbers lifestyle línguas faladas linguistic family maize manioc Mary Ruth Wise Mato Grosso mestizo missionaries missions NAMBIQUÁRA nineteenth century number approximately Paraguay Peru Peruvian population decline Portuguese Quechua Quiché REFERENCES reservation Ribeiro and Mary Río Robert Lee Spires Roman Catholic Rondônia rubber boom rubber collectors settlers Shipibo social South America Spanish speak Stoddard subsistence subtribe Suyá TEHUELCHE territory Theodore Tiriyó tribal identity tribe of Amerindians tributary tropical forest Tukano Twentieth Century upper Vaupés River Venezuela villages Villas Boas WARRAU Western Witoto Xingú River YANOAMA YEKUANA Yukpa