Enxet

Originally hunter-gatherers, many are now forced to supplement their livelihood as laborers on the cattle ranches that have encroached upon their dwindling natural forest habitat.

[1] Nevertheless, the Enxet are engaged in an ongoing conflict with the government and ranchers,[1] who want to destroy what remains of the forest to open the land for massive settlement.

only a handful of Enxet are still maintain their traditional way of life, while the majority live in small settlements sponsored by various missionary organizations.

The front of this war stretched directly through Chaco territory, ravaging ancestral lands and severely disrupting cultural way of life.

[5] To make matters worse, they were struck with a brutal smallpox epidemic in 1932, which resulted in the deaths of nearly half of the Enxet population.

"[5] Though no conscription is overly reported, the Enxet population was targeted by both Bolivia and Paraguay due to fears revolving around the Natives being spies.

[citation needed] In 1991, the state removed the indigenous Sawhoyamaxa community from the land resulting in their loss of access to water, food, schooling and health services.