Jívaro

American  

[hee-vuh-roh] / ˈhi vəˌroʊ /

noun

plural

Jívaros,

plural

Jívaro

1. a member of a group of Indigenous peoples of eastern Ecuador and northern Peru.

2. any of the languages of the Jívaro.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Jívaro or their languages.

Jivaro British  

/ ˈhɪːvərəu /

noun

1. 1. a member of a group of sub-tribes native to the Amazonian forests of Peru and Ecuador, formerly noted for their warlike nature and head-shrinking rituals

   2. as modifier

      Jivaro rituals

2. any of the languages spoken by the Jivaro people

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Other Word Forms

• Jívaroan adjective

Etymology

Origin of Jívaro

First recorded in 1860–65; from Spanish Jíbaro, a self designation

Example Sentences

Alongside the skull - which is from a Belgian collection – the sale listed shrunken heads from the Jivaro people of South America and skulls from the Ekoi people of West Africa.

From BBC

Among the items initially listed were shrunken heads from the Jivaro people of South America, skulls from the Ekoi people of West Africa and a 19th century horned human skull from the Naga people of India and Myanmar.

From BBC

The Jívaro people of Ecuador posit the existence of three souls, each imbued with unique potential.

From Scientific American

Among the pieces on display these days is an Egyptian mummy with a burial mask, a 20th-century shrunken head from Jivaro Indians of South America and a Jurassic-Period dinosaur egg from China.

From Washington Times

For example, in South America, heads of defeated enemies were often used as war trophies — the Arara people in the Brazilian Amazon used skulls of defeated enemies as musical instruments, the Inca turned skulls into drinking jars, and the Jivaro people of Ecuador shrunk heads to imprison the souls of foes.

From Scientific American