The Matsés people (who are also commonly called Mayorunas in Brazil) are often affectionately referred to as the "cat people" due to the characteristic "whiskers"
Presently, there are about 2200 Matsés living in the Yavarí Valley of Peru and Brazil, with the majority residing in Peru.
The Matsés speak a language of the Panoan linguistic family that is closely aligned with the dialects that the Matis and Korubo Indians speak.
In 1969, the Matsés first made permanent contact with the outside world when they accepted Christian missionaries into their communities.
While many other Amazonian tribes use blowguns to hunt, the Matsés are specialists in the use of bows and arrows.
Matsés arrows are incredible works of art and craftsmanship that illustrate their strong work ethic and allow them to maintain their traditional way of life without dependence on outside society.
With few exceptions, the Matsés people have no regular economic income, with self-sufficient hunting and fishing being their primary economic activities.
Despite the richness of their culture and way of life, the Matsés people live in extreme poverty with diseases such as malaria and hepatitis extracting an incredible toll in terms of human suffering and mortality.