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How did rainy and dry seasons affect the movements of Xavante and other Ge peoples?

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Map of South America and the Caribbean showing the distribution of Aboriginal cultural groups, with regions color-coded by cultural type including Andean, Central American, tropical forest, and various nomadic cultures such as aquatic nomads, forest hunters and gatherers, and shellfish gatherers. Major group names are labeled across the continent and surrounding islands. — South American forest Indian Distribution of aboriginal South American and circum-Caribbean cultural groups.

The seasonal climate significantly influenced the settlement patterns of the Xavante and other Ge peoples, who are characterized as seminomadic South American forest Indians.12

These groups typically followed a cyclical movement pattern based on the availability of resources:

Rainy Season: During this period, these peoples resided in established villages.1
Dry Season: During dry spells, the groups would leave their villages to engage in hunting expeditions.1

While these groups practiced agriculture—cultivating crops such as corn, beans, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and yams—they remained primarily hunters and gatherers. Because their slash-and-burn agricultural system required moving periodically due to soil exhaustion, and because they relied on seasonal hunting and gathering, their villages were generally not permanent.312