YANOMAMI CHRONOLOGY*

BRAZIL

1787 Portugese Border Commission encounters Yanomami

1973 Military constructs Northern Perimeter Highway BR-210 extends 225 km into Yanomami territory in Roraima precipitating epidemics (1973-76), road subsequently abandoned

1977 FUNAI (National Indian Foundation) proposes Yanomami archipelago (21 separate reserves)

1978 Commission for the Creation of a Yanomami Park (CCPY) established (http://www.proyanomami.org.br)

1979 The Yanomama in Brazil 1979 published by Alcida Ramos and Kenneth Taylor with IWGIA, includes "Yanomai Indian Park, Proposal and Justification"

1980 Illegal invasion of gold miners begins on Alto Rio Uraricoera at Furo de Santa Rosa

1981 The Anthropology Resource Center of Cambridge, MA, publishes document The Yanomami Indian Park

1986 First Yanomami Assembly attended by representatives from 14 communities (March 15-17).

1987 Yanomami Park (Reserve) proposed and mapped; anthropologists, medical doctors, nurses, missionaries, and journalists expelled and prohibited from Yanomami territory; and large scale invasion of miners begins in August with peak at 40,000; malaria epidemic follows and from 1989-90 at least 2,000 Yanomami die.

1989 FUNAI reopens Yanomami area to doctors and NGO personnel previously expelled (November 27)

Brazilian Anthropological Association (ABA) expresses concern to AAA about negative consequences of Napoleon Chagnon's publications and press statements, but no action taken by the AAA

1990 Medical teams and government establish Yanomami Health Project and medical team finally enters Yanomami territory after absence since 1987 eviction

1991 AAA Commission to Investigate the Situation of the
Brazilian Yanomami chaired by Terence Turner issues Report

On the Day of the Indian President Collar signs decree stipulating that a proposal to demarcate a Yanomami reserve be presented to him within 180 days (April 19)

1992 President Collar signed a decree ratifying the demarcation and legally created the Yanomami Indigeous Reserve (May 25)

1995 CCPY Education Project launched to train Yanomami teachers to promote self-determination

1998 URIHI, a medical NGO devoted to Yanomami health, is established as a spin off of CCPY

1999 Government establishes Yanomami Health District with URIHI as main health care provider

VENEZUELA

1989 Venezuelan National Guard expels some 3,000 Brazilian gold miners who invaded Yanomami territory in Venezuela (May 5)

1991 International conference on the Yanomami attended by 11 Yanomami

National Park and Biosphere Reserve established

1993 Hashimu massacre by gold miners kills 12 Yanomami (3 elderly persons, 1 young woman, 3 adolescent girls, 2 baby girls, and 3 boys)

2001 First National Yanomami Congress at Mavakita attended by some 700 Yanomami

Government commission established to investigate Patrick Tierney's allegations

AAA Task Force on El Dorado established

2005 Final Report of the Task Force issued on July 1, 2002

see http://www.aaanet.org under Committee on Ethics

2005 Referendum aginst the Final Report approved by vote of 846 with 338 against out of a total AAA membership of 11,300 (about 10-11% of members bothered to vote).

*It is extremely difficult to secure up to date information on these matters, especially in Venezuela. Therefore, any information, even if only citations to such information, would be most helpful and much appreciated. Please email to: sponsel@hawaii.edu