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The suicide of the Zuruahã
| January 8th, 2013 at 1:16:20 AM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 | The Zuruahã are a stone age indigenous people of Brazil, with fewer than 150 members living along the Purus River in the state of Amazonas. They have been practicing suicide, and a brutal type of infanticide (of deformed children), along with regular dosing of hallucinogens. Despite being in general high physical health there are no old people. The Zuruahã say – and for this there is other historical evidence (Barros 1930) – that they are remnants of various named territorial subgroups whose populations, succumbing to infectious and contagious diseases and the cruelty of the rubber economy – declined drastically in the first decades of the 20th century during the boom in extractivist activities throughout Amazonia. |
| January 8th, 2013 at 2:29:35 AM permalink | |
| Fleastiff Member since: Oct 27, 2012 Threads: 62 Posts: 7831 | Perhaps this should be posted under "Funding Social Security". |
| January 8th, 2013 at 4:41:09 AM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 |
Since the group is so small, the suicides may be a recent custom. It was reported that 8 people in the group committed suicide in one day. If the people in the tribe request access to the larger world, it is not clear if their wishes will be granted. One story is told of a woman who abandoned her child in the jungle to be torn apart by wild animals because she had cerebral palsy. The mother regretted her decision, rescued her daughter, and left the tribe to live in a large Brazilian city. The implication is that the child murders may have stopped since the sociologists are in close contact with the tribe, and can now speak their language. The suicides may stop or reduce for the same reason. There is no sign of them giving up the drugs or deciding to wear clothes. |
| January 8th, 2013 at 5:34:21 AM permalink | |
| s2dbaker Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 13 Posts: 241 | If I had to live in a tropical rain forest, I'd probably take drugs and then kill myself too. |
| January 12th, 2013 at 10:33:31 AM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 |
Life Expectancy is now 74 years for Latin America. That is opposed to 79 years for USA, and 58 for Africa. So for the Western Hemisphere it is no longer the case that you will die very young. Brazil, which includes most of the tropical rain forests in the Western Hemisphere is a respectable 73. 63 Haiti 68 Belize 68 Bolivia 68 Guyana 71 Guatemala 71 Honduras 71 Suriname 72 Bahamas 72 Nicaragua 72 Trinidad and Tobago 73 Brazil 73 Jamaica 73 Peru 74 El Salvador 74 Grenada 74 Montserrat 74 Venezuela 75 Barbados 75 Colombia 75 Saint Kitts and Nevis 75 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 76 Antigua and Barbuda 76 Aruba 76 Dominica 76 Ecuador 77 Argentina 77 Mexico 77 Paraguay 77 Saint Lucia 77 Uruguay 78 Chile 78 Costa Rica 78 Cuba 78 Curacao 78 Dominican Republic 78 Panama 78 Sint Maarten 78 Virgin Islands 79 Puerto Rico 79 Saint Barthelemy 79 Saint Martin 79 Turks and Caicos Islands 81 Anguilla 81 Cayman Islands South Africa it is only 49 years old. |
| January 12th, 2013 at 5:51:17 PM permalink | |
| 98Clubs Member since: Nov 11, 2012 Threads: 2 Posts: 75 | South Africa 49? Is this a typo? If true the old age of 50 in our Wild Wild West of yore has quite the competitor! There are four things certain in life... Death, Taxes, the Resistance to them, and Stupidity. |
| January 12th, 2013 at 7:48:31 PM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 | Usually when they are that low, they vary a lot from year to year. But if you haven't realized how many people on the southern tip are dying of AIDS, you are behind on your reading.  Generally people don't realize how much better conditions are in the Western Hemisphere vs the Eastern Hemisphere. |