People / group

Kayapó

Also known as Mebêngôkre

The Kayapó are Gê-speaking indigenous peoples of central Brazil. The Southern Kayapó of Goiás and Mato Grosso fought Portuguese miners and settlers in the 18th century and were largely destroyed, while the northern Kayapó, or Mebêngôkre, live today in Pará and Mato Grosso along the Xingu river. Their leaders, such as Raoni, became known worldwide for defending the Amazon forest.

Kayapó
Image: Apib Comunicação · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Captaincy of Goiás

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kayapó. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kayapo
MLA
“Kayapó.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kayapo. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kayapó.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kayapo.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kayapó’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kayapo (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻