Tagaeri and Taromenane: On the Issue of Isolated Indian Groups in Eastern Ecuador

Abstract

The article conveys the results of the 2009 fieldwork conducted by the author among the Waorani Indians of the Ecuador Amazon. In the course of the expedition, there was gathered a broad range of data pointing to the presence in the Orellana and Pastaza tropical forests of isolated Indian groups avoiding contacts with the national society of Ecuador. The article examines the social and cultural situation surrounding these groups and the part played in it by some Waorani communities that stand in close contact with Ecuador’s national society. Of special interest is the fact that some of the isolated peoples under consideration remain unknown to ethnography, for their ethnic history, language origins, and cultural traditions are unclear.