Matis

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Matis

Total population
390 (2010)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Brazil ( Amazonas)
Languages
Matis language,[2] Portuguese
Religion
traditional tribal religion

The Matis people (also called Matsë in their own native language) are an indigenous people of Brazil.^[1] The Matis are commonly named the Jaguar people by tourists and filmmakers, but they do not like the name. They live in three separate communities with a total population of roughly 340. They live in the far west of Brazil, in the Vale do Javari Indigenous Territory, an area covering 83,000 square kilometres (32,000 sq mi). They practice hunting, fishing, foraging and agriculture. Now, they also receive money from their work as teachers, health assistants, and surveillance of the territory for FUNAI, for example, and the elders receive pensions from the government (registered as retired farmers, as other traditional communities also have the right for in Brazil).