navigable Cutivireni and Anapate, contribute to the Ene river along approximately 180

km. The climate varies from tropical warm humid to tropical warm very humid; average

annual temperature is 250C, and precipitation averages 2250 mm per year (AD-PER

1997; Cirdenas 2000).

 The Ashininka in the Ene River valley are currently sharing their traditional

territory with Quechua colonists who came mainly from the Junin, Ayacucho and

Apurimac departments. According to the last national census (INEI 1993), of the total

6848 inhabitants in the Ene valley, 3200 (47%) are Ashininka and 3648 (53%) are

colonists.

 The three study communities were consolidated from scattered Ashininka groups

in the Ene Valley, and legally recognized in the 1960s. Ashininka migrants who joint the

existing Ashininka residents in the Ene Valley subsequently became the leaders of these

newly founded communities. The new leaders believed in the need to consolidate the

population in order to have a school and defend themselves from the harmful effects of

the increasing colonization pressures (Mayer 1971, Santos-Granero and Barclay 1995).

 For this research, one target village was selected for study in each community:

Boca Camantavishi in Camantavishi, Tinkareni in Cutivireni, and Yoyato in Quempiri.

Even though these three village groups share a similar origin and customs, relevant

differences exist.