Brazil was once colonized by Portugal in the 1500 by a man named Pedro Alvares Cabral. After gaining independence on September 7 1822, there were already thousands of tribes and indigenous people present in Brazil.
In general terms, the indigenous people who live in Brazil are known as Indians. Why Indians? It was derived by the result of a historical mistake made by the first Europeans who arrived in America thinking that they had reached India. Over time, the continuous usage of the term became a synonym of an indigenous person in Brazil.
There is no clear or credible statistics on how many indigenous people are left today, but is it believed to be around the figure of 650,000. They live all over the country in a wide range of environments, from tropical forests, deserts and the Amazon.
Decline of Indigenous people over the years
The population of the indigenous people in Brazil has been declining over the years and it is due to several reasons.
During the 1500s, when the European came into the land, many of the indigenous groups began to die out and assimilated into the Brazilian population.
The tribes also face many threats such as government interventions, diseases and conflict with settlers which began to wipe them out over time.
Government and the tribes
Over the years when the indigenous tribes existed, there have been countless of conflicts and protests between them and the government. The indigenous people have been demanding for rights such as land and power, increasing the tension between the two groups. Land is considered as the most important thing to the South American tribes.
However, the government has recently tried to appease the situation through many ways such as listening to the tribe’s demands and also offering them new rights, such as the carbon-trading rights.
Types of Indigenous people and tribes
There are many tribes present throughout the history of Brazil and there are a few that stands out among the others.
a) Kayopo
Living in villages dispersed along the upper course of the Iriri, Bacaja, Xingu river and Fresco rivers, are the people of Kayapo.
One of the unique points about the tribe is that the Kayapo men have disks inserted in their lower lips. The mother and children of the tribe also paint each other’s bodies with patterns that are similar to animal or insect markings. It is believed that when painted they can better communicate with the Spirit that exists everywhere – in the forest, river and etc.
b) Yanomami
The Yanomami people have been living in the rainforests of South America in countries such as Brazil and Venezuela.
Shamanism is closely linked with the Yanomami culture. Shamanism is a range of beliefs and practices that have got to do with the communications with the spiritual world. Shamans are people who practices Shamanism. In the Yanomami tribe, Shamans are said to help preserve and protect the rainforests where they live in.
Decorating their body with only flowers and paintings, most of the Yanomami people do not wear any clothes with the men only wearing a string-like belt.
Today, the indigenous people still face many threats every day and there have been organizations and groups trying to help raise awareness and do their part to help them. One example is the organization named Survival, http://www.survivalinternational.org/info.
References:
http://www.gfbv.de/inhaltsDok.php?id=975
http://pib.socioambiental.org/en/povo/kayapo
http://traditionscustoms.com/people/kayapo
http://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/yanomami
http://www.modernghana.com/news/99527/50/brazils-indigenous-people-fight-for-power.html
http://www.greenbang.com/indigenous-people-in-brazil-own-carbon-rights-law-firm-finds_12912.html
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