 Former Kayapó chief Tuíre Kayapó | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 8,638 (2010)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Brazil (Mato Grosso, Pará)[1] | |
| Languages | |
| Kayapo language |
The Kayapo (Portuguese: Caiapó [kajaˈpɔ]) people are the indigenous people in Brazil who inhabit a vast area spreading across the states of Pará and Mato Grosso, south of the Amazon River and along the Xingu River and its tributaries. This pattern has given rise to the nickname "the Xingu tribe".[1] They are one of the various subgroups of the great Mebêngôkre nation (meaning "people from the water’s source").[2] The term "Kayapo" is used by neighbouring groups rather than the Kayapo themselves. They refer to outsiders as "Poanjos".
The type of sweet potato that forms an important part of the Kayapó diet is sometimes named "caiapo", after the tribe.[3] It is cultivated under that name in Japan, and has been found to have health benefits.[4]
- ^ a b c "Mebêngôkre (Kayapó)". Povos Indígenas no Brasil. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
- ^ Posey, Darrell A (2002). Kayapó Ethnoecology and Culture. London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-27791-4. Archived from the original on 2018-10-27. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
- ^ "Caiapo Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) Shows Beneficial Effects of Improving Insulin Resistance". BioFoundations. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
- ^ Ludvik, Bernhard; Waldhäusl, Werner; Prager, Rudolf; Kautzky-Willer, Alexandra; Pacini, Giovanni (2003). "Mode of action of ipomoea batatas (caiapo) in type 2 diabetic patients". Metabolism. 52 (7): 875–880. doi:10.1016/S0026-0495(03)00073-8. ISSN 0026-0495. PMID 12870164.
