Matis

The Matis people (also called Matsë in their own native language) are an indigenous people of Brazil. Outsiders sometimes call them the Jaguar People, but they do not like the name. They currently live in the far west of Brazil, in the Vale do Javari Indigenous Territory, an area covering . They practice hunting, fishing, foraging and agriculture. They work as teachers, health assistants, and surveillance of the territory for FUNAI, among other jobs, and the elders receive pensions from the government (registered as retired farmers, as other traditional communities also have the right for in Brazil).

==Name== The Matis people's own names for themselves include the "Mushabo" ("the tattooed people" or possibly "the people of the peach palm"), the "Deshan Mikitbo" (possibly "people of the headwaters"), and the Matses. "Matses" means "person" or "human being" in Matis and related Panoan languages and can also refer to a related neighboring group known as the Matses or Mayoruma. The name Matis was given to them by non-indigenous outsiders, in particular Funai officials. Their ritual body modifications include "whiskers" that have caused some journalists or filmmakers to refer to them as the "Jaguar People", but they do not prefer this name.