It was this longing for the preservation of culture and life that mandated the Kayabi left their native lands and seek shelter and protection.

During colonial times indigenous peoples had their villages disseminated, raided and even destroyed if located on resource rich lands.

Countless fell ill to diseases the Europeans brought with them, for example smallpox, measles, chicken pox, tuberculosis, yellow fever, and other forms of the flu virus.

In relatively self-reliant villages all along the coast of Brazil and mouth of the amazon, these people thrived as fisherman, hunters and farmers.

[5] In 1961 after centuries of forced contact and inhumane treatment at the hands of European settlers and companies, an area was finally allocated for the indigenous peoples of Brazil who faced the same grievances as the Kaiabi.

An indigenous reserve comprising about 6.9 million acres of land that today houses about 5,500 inhabitants, including 1,000 Kaiabi, from 17 different clans; Parque Indígena do Xingu.

The Kaiabi People faced encroachment of their lands and culture by commercial companies, therefore they fled to the Xingu Indigenous Park.

[6] As mentioned before the Kaiabi began moving to the Park not only to protect their culture but also to evade persecution from rubber tappers, loggers, farmers, miners and other Euro-Brazilians who forced them from their lands, raped their women, or murdered them.

Their horticulture is extremely diversified, containing dozens of varieties of domesticated plants and a fairly elaborate agricultural system.

Planted in the poly-cultural swiddens are various species demanding better soil types (areas of black earth): maize, cotton, peanut, potato, yam, banana, beans, sugarcane, pumpkin and watermelon and many other staples the Kaiabi depend on.

A typical meal would consist of flour from the cassava root, which could be made into bread and ate along with a fish dish.

A shaman is tasked with the great responsibility of understanding each stage and giving advise, helping, healing and teaching as needed for the common good of the community.

there is no question that Shamans are special and important members of society however they don't exactly participate in the normal everyday life activities of the community.

It is believed that shamans gained the gift of divination through an encounter with a grave sickness, and with this event a link between the supernatural and human worlds is created.

Presently, the main items of produce are collars made from tucum palm, either smooth or designed with animal inspired figures, also manufactured by women.