Yukpa - Settlements



Each Yukpa subtribe has traditionally occupied a distinct territory, usually a particular river valley. Within each river valley, the subtribal population was divided into smaller settlements, the majority of which were located on the terraces of the valley or near tributary streams. The settlement pattern consisted of a mixture of single houses, hamlets composed of two or three houses, and larger communities that might contain up to twenty houses. In the last thirty to forty years, fundamental changes have occurred in the Yukpa settlement pattern. Under the influence of Capuchin missionaries and in response to increasing economic activities beyond the steep river valleys, Yukpa communities have moved closer to the rolling hills and plains adjoining the mountains. In extreme cases, Yukpa have moved either to local towns or large settlements adjacent to mission stations. Many Yukpa men and a few women now work outside of the mountains on large dairy ranches, where they spend weeks before returning to their families in the mountains.


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