Origins & Early Life

Raoni Metuktire (born 1932), also known as Chief Raoni or Ropni, is an Indigenous Brazilian leader and environmentalist. He is a chief of the Kayapo people, a Brazilian Indigenous group from the plain lands of the Mato Grosso and Pará in Brazil, south of the Amazon River and along Xingu River and its tributaries. He is internationally famous as a living symbol of the fight for the preservation of the Amazon rainforest and indigenous culture. Cacique (a Native American word for chieftain) Raoni Metuktire was born in the state of Mato Grosso in 1932, in the heart of the Brazilian part of the Amazon rainforest, in a village called Krajmopyjakare (today called Kapôt in the Brazilian municipality of Peixoto de Azevedo).

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Born in the Metuktire family of Kayapo people, he is one of Cacique Umoro's sons. As the Kayapo tribe is nomadic, his childhood was marked by continuous travel, during which he witnessed many tribal wars. Guided by his brother Motibau, in 1947, at the age of 15, he chose to have a painted wooden lip plate (called botoque by the warriors of his tribe) placed under his lower lip. Raoni and other members of the Metuktire tribe encountered the outside world...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Alvin Plantinga — Contemporary (Born in 1932) (1932): Leading American philosopher and theologian known for Reformed epistemology.
• Andrei Tarkovsky — Contemporary (Born in 1932) (1932): Master of metaphysical cinema, known for slow pacing and spiritual depth.
• Anouk Aimée — Contemporary (Born in 1932) (1932): Iconic French actress known for her captivating roles from the 1940s to 2010s.
• Anthony Perkins — Historical peer (Born in 1932) (1932): Iconic American actor, famed for portraying Norman Bates in Psycho.
• Arif Mardin — Historical peer (Born in 1932) (1932): Pioneering Turkish-American music producer, arranger, and studio veteran.
• Al Capone — Historical peer (Died in 1947) (1947): Notorious American gangster and businessman during the Prohibition era.
• Alan Guth — Historical peer (Born in 1947) (1947): Pioneering cosmologist known for developing the theory of cosmic inflation.
• A. P. J. Abdul Kalam — Contemporary figure (Born in 1931) (1931): Visionary aerospace engineer, scientist, and former President of India.
• Akseli Gallen-Kallela — Contemporary figure (Died in 1931) (1931): Pioneering Finnish painter, celebrated for national romanticism and the Kalevala.
• 13th Dalai Lama — Contemporary figure (Died in 1933) (1933): Spiritual leader of Tibet who championed national independence and modernization.
• 1932 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1932