ay a significant role in the Mundurucu society, which enables them to constantly challenge, the male dominance in the Savannah villages. As traders and missionaries came to their land, the traders wanted to use their resources to make rubber, and the missionaries wanted to get rid of their old religion and convert them to Catholicism. The Mundurucu eventually traded all of their land in the Savannah and had to move near the river. The males of the Mundurucu society became Catholic rubber traders. When the Mundurucu had to settle near the river, the men were the first to go, and then eventually, the women. Because they were in debt to the traders, they spent more and more time by the river. The women of the Mundurucu society enjoyed the new materials that the traders had to offer. Ultimately, the entire Mundurucu society was forced to live near the river.As a result of moving near the river, the lives of the Mundurucu changed dramatically. First of all, the social sphere was altered. There were no longer any men’s houses. This results in a great change in the gender dynamics. This effected the relationships that women had with other women as well as their own children. It brought upon an enormous change in the sense that they no longer had such a strong same sex solidarity. Also, the husband helps more around the house. Murphy argues that the women like this better because they get help from the men. Economically in the Savannah, the women were the main providers. However, because the men did business with the traders, they became the main provides when the society settled near the river. As a result, women became more subservient. Women were helps, and the leading consumers. The Mundurucu religion in the Savannah villages was non-existent in the river communities. In the Savannah, the big ritual center was the man’s house. The Mundurucu became Catholic which limited the power women could have in religion. Since their settlem...
