Xavante is an indigenous people who live in areas distributed within the state of Mato Grosso, in the Center-West Region of Brazil, in the so-called Legal Amazon, which houses the fourth largest indigenous population in the country, with around twenty-four thousand individuals. In this region, in addition to the Xavantes, there are the Terenas, the Parecis and the Guarani. The Xavantes are the most numerous, with about 13 thousand individuals.
The Xavante Indians are spread over 12 areas called “indigenous lands”, some already regularized as a reserve and others under study. They are: Areões, Areões I, Areões II, Chão Preto, Marãiwatsede, Marechal Rondon, Parabubure, Pimentel Barbosa Sangradouro/Volta Grande, São Marcos, Ubawawe and Wedeze. They still live in the northwest of Goiás, in the indigenous colonies of Carretão I and Carretão II.
The Xavante call themselves “A’uwe Uptabi” (true people). They speak the language aquém, akwén or a’uwem, which belongs to the macro-jê linguistic trunk, which contains 13 consonants and thirteen vowels.
The Xavante Indians are divided into two different clans “õwawe” (large water) and “proza’õno” (tadpole). Marriage is only allowed between members of different clans.
The Xavante Indian is a hunter and a warrior. The Indians learn to take care of the house and the fields, spin cotton and gather roots in the forest. After contact with civilization, the creation of domestic animals for consumption became common.
The Xavantes usually paint their bodies as a preservation of culture. Another custom maintained is the adolescent's rite of passage into adulthood, where the youth remains isolated from other members of the tribe, only going out with the older ones to hunt and fish. When the time comes, the young man's share is pierced with a piece of jaguar bone and the hole is filled with a special straw ornament. From that moment on, he is considered an adult and goes back to live with the rest of the tribe.
Xavante plane
The Xavante plane was the first jet aircraft manufactured in Brazil by EMBRAER – Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica. The EMB-326GB Xavante is derived from the MB-326, a single-engine jet, intended for training, developed by the Italian company Aermacchi, which made its first flight in 1957.
Under license from Aermacchi, it was manufactured in Brazil, Australia and South Africa. Due to its low production and operation cost, being versatile and agile, versions for ground attack were developed.
The Xavantes entered into operation at the FAB – Brazilian Air Force in 1971 and were produced until 1981 in a total of 166 aircraft, 27 of which were exported to Paraguay, Argentina and Togo.
In addition to its function of training pilots, the Xavante has equipped several FAB attack squads. About thirty aircraft are still in operation.