Chamacoco Indians

The Chamacoco people (Ishír) are an indigenous people of Paraguay. Some also live in Brazil. The Chamacoco have two major divisions, the Ebytoso, who lived along the Paraguay River, and the Tomáraho, who traditionally lived in the forests. The Ebytoso converted to Christianity, while the Tomáraho have lived in marginal areas in order to preserve their traditional world views and lifeways. In the 1980s the Instituto Nacional del Indigena (INDI) resettled the Tomáraho in a community called Puerto Esperanza with the Ebytoso. The Chamacoco people are one of many Indigenous groups in the Gran Chaco who are impacted by the devastating effects of deforestation in the region.