Other names for the Panará include Kreen Akarore, Kren Akarore,[2] Krenhakarore, Krenhakore, Krenakore, Krenakarore or Krenacarore, and "Índios Gigantes" ("Giant Indians") – all variants of the Mẽbêngôkre name Krã jàkàràre [ˈkɾʌ̃ jʌˈkʌɾʌɾɛ], meaning "roundlike cuthead", a reference to their traditional hair style which identifies them.

[2] The Panará are the last descendants of the Southern Kayapó, a large ethnic group which inhabited a vast area in Central Brazil in the 18th century, from the northern borders of the state of São Paulo, Triângulo Mineiro and south of Goiás, stretching eastwards from Mato Grosso, eastern and southeastern portion of Mato Grosso do Sul.

The soldiers were ordered to fire over the heads of the “wild Indians” and soon a landing plane was used to successfully terrify the Panará into fleeing.

Government workers at the indigenous reserve, Xingu National Park were interested in learning more upon hearing of the capture of one of the Panará tribes children by a rival tribe, as well as their hopes that contact with Panará would prevent conflict when they learned that the (Cuiabá-Santarém) road BR-163 planned to cut straight through their territory.

The leaders of the expedition gathered members of other tribes who had once been isolated but who now lived on in Parque do Xingu and set out on to make contact.

After the expedition was over, the Panará lived in relative isolation until three years later in 1973 when the government project (Cuiabá-Santarém) road BR-163 was built through their territory.

[5] On 12 January 1975, the 79 surviving members of the tribe were transferred by the government to the indigenous reserve Xingu National Park, and forced to live in proximity with former enemies, under state supervision.

However, much of their old land had been degraded by prospectors, gold panning, settlement or cattle breeding (six out of eight of their old villages had been destroyed), but one large stretch of unspoiled dense forest could still be identified.

The Panará use a well known method to contain and utilize the Fire resistance Flora via to alter the landscape in their favour as well as acquire sapé grass to be used for thatch housing.

[4] They also follow a uxorilocal habitation, where the male moves into the household of the woman when they marry, as well as the man becoming a member of his wife's clan especially after the first child is born.