SHERENTE

also spelled Xerente, Brazilian Indian group speaking Sherente, a Macro-Ge language. The Sherente live in northern Goias state, on a hilly upland plateau that is broken up by strips of forest that trace the courses of the rivers flowing through the region. They numbered approximately 500 in the late 20th century. The Sherente and the closely related Shavante (q.v.) at one time lived as neighbours along the Tocantins River in Goias state; the earliest travelers through the area failed to distinguish the two groups, ethnically or linguistically. By the 1840s, however, newcomers settling along the Tocantins River had pushed the Sherente and Shavante away from the river; the Sherente moved northeast, to their present home between the Tocantins River and the Sono River. The Sherente, unlike the Shavante, interacted with the missionaries and other early settlers; some learned Portuguese, some became Christians, and most became knowledgeable about mainstream Brazilian culture. In the second half of the 20th century, the Sherente were an integrated group, participating so fully in the Brazilian society and economy that they are no longer considered to have a distinct tribal identity.