[4] In the 18th century, in the northeastern region of the present state of São Paulo, the Kayapó tribe first encountered Portuguese-Brazilian bandeirantes, who were looking for gold, among other precious stones and metals, as well as indigenous slaves.

[10] The term Kayapo, also spelled Caiapó or Kaiapó, came from neighboring peoples in the early 19th century and means "those who look like monkeys".

They believe that their ancestors learned the ways of life from insects, so they paint their bodies to mimic the invertebrates and to better communicate with the great spirit that exists in all things.

To help find their way through the jungle, the Kayapó paint their legs with a red pigment that rubs-off on the surrounding plants as they traverse through the vegetation.

[clarification needed] Due to increased contact with outside cultures, contemporary Kayapó often wear western-style clothing, such as shorts and pants.

The Kayapo value oratory highly, calling themselves those who speak beautifully (Kaben mei) when compared to other indigenous groups.

The Kayapo possess varying knowledge of Portuguese, depending on the individual groups and their history of contact with outsiders.

The Kayapo have incorporated a great deal of traditional myth, ritual and cosmology[16] into their practices honoring the importance of the earth's relationship with the people.

[18] In addition to striking environmental threats, social habits began to change with the introduction of outside influences in the area.

"[17] This increased interaction with outside groups elevated the levels of disease, which posed an imminent threat to the people because of their relative seclusion and limited access to medical care.

In addition, the diminishing resource base caused conflicts between the Kayapo and neighboring villages which often resulted in explosive and long standing disputes.

This demonstration, staged at the planned site for the first dam in Altamira, Pará, lasted several days and brought much pressure upon both the World Bank and the Brazilian government.

[16] The Kayapo continued to fight adversity and retaliated using traditional war oratory and dances, proving that they were not only capable of "effectively reintegrating their society, (but) also of adapting their organization and culture to manipulate the mass media that covered the demonstration".

[21] The Kayapo attended the meeting to protest the hydroelectric dam development whilst in traditional costume and wielding machetes.

Perhaps "the most dramatic single image to emerge from this tumultuous gathering was that of Tuíra, a female indigenous leader, angrily waving a machete in the face of engineer José Antônio Muniz Lópes (later president of Eletronorte, the state power company in charge of the dam), which had worldwide repercussions and probably influenced further postponement of the project".

Sting continued to support the Kayapo in their efforts to protect their land, and in 1989 he founded the Rainforest Foundation Fund.

[23] Kayapo leaders protesting the creation of the dam are constantly threatened, and some have been killed by developers and land prospectors.

[19] These numbers will have a vast and far reaching implication on population growth in the area which has the very real potential to put even more pressure on the fragile forest infrastructure and ever decreasing natural resource base, escalating concerns of flooding and deforestation in particular.

The field system was done by utilizing either naturally occurring or man made clearings in the forest for crop cultivation which required little maintenance afterward.