The Matis (who call themselves Mushabo) are an indigenous group living in the Vale do Javari region, in the far west of the Brazilian Amazon near the border with Peru. They are widely known as the "Jaguar People" due to their deep spiritual and aesthetic connection to the feline.
The Matis are famous for their unique facial ornaments. Traditionally, they used palm spines (daší) inserted into their noses to mimic jaguar whiskers and facial tattoos that resemble the animal's markings. These features were believed to grant them the predator's strength and stealth.
They are masters of the blowgun (cerbatana), which can be up to 4 meters long. They use darts tipped with curare, a potent plant-based poison, primarily to hunt monkeys and birds high in the canopy.
Kambo: The Matis are one of the original groups to use the secretion of the Phyllomedusa bicolor frog. Applied through small burns on the skin, it is used as a "vaccine" to eliminate "panema" (bad luck in hunting) and to increase physical stamina.
Mariwin: Ancestral spirits represented by men wearing grass masks and wooden clubs who "discipline" the children of the village to ensure they grow up strong and respectful.
Extended info about Matis people
