Name

The Mebêngôkre tribe is an indigenous group that is more commonly referred to as the Kayapo. Mebêngôkre, meaning "water-hole people" or " the men from the water hole", describes their location along the Xingu River in the Amazon basin. The term 'Kayapo was first coined at the beginning of the 19th Century and means "those who look like monkeys." This term was given to the Mebêngôkre by their enemies and probably  procured from a  ritual in which the men where monkey-like masks and perform short dances. Although society refers to them as the Kayapo, they continue to refer to themselves as Mebêngôkre.

Taylor, Leslie LT   2001 The Kayapo. Rainforest Database.  Accessed April 16, 2013.