MAKU

any of several South American Indian societies who traditionally hunted, gathered wild plant foods, and fished in the basins of the Ro Negro and the Vaups River in Colombia. The Mak comprised small bands of forest nomads. The present-day Mak are remnants of an aboriginal population who were killed or assimilated by expanding Arawak, Carib, and Tucano tribes. The Mak language is not related to others, and the several groups speak quite different dialects. It is estimated that they numbered about 2,000, but they are now on the verge of extinction. Little is known of Mak culture. As nomadic hunters, gatherers, and fishermen, they use bows and arrows, blowguns, stone axes, and clubs. Some have recently adopted farming and live in sedentary villages. In the Brazilian Guiana Highlands, the Mak of the Uraricoera River basin speak an isolated language. They obtain European products through trade with other Indians.