The Juma People

In the 18th century the Juma group had about 15 thousand indigenous people.

Today there are only four left.

Historically the people were decimated by gold miners, rubber tappers and by all the diseases that arose after the contact with the white man. In 1998, with a very small number, the Juma were taken from their original area to the Alto Jamari tribe of the Uru-eu-wau-wau people. Because they were a completely different ethnic group, although they spoke the same language, they suffered from cultural shock and felt marginalized, apart from their homesickness. The return to Juma territory only happened in 2013.

The Juma people fish, hunt and plant in their territory. The river is a fundamental part of the daily life of the community. It is where the natives bathe, wash their clothes, draw water to the tribe and are also the main route of locomotion.

Despite their numbers, the Juma people keep their culture alive. One of the rituals still practiced is the Feast of the Young Girl, an event that marks the beginning of adult life for the woman.

Although they resist, the situation of the Juma people is complicated. In addition to the invasion of hunters, they suffer from the poor assistance of public agencies.

Aruká is 82 years old. He and his three daughters are the last of the ethnicity. As there are no more indigenous people of the same people for new marriages, this is the final family of the Juma.