76-533: The Fundação Nacional dos Povos Indígenas ( Portuguese pronunciation: [fũdaˈsɐ̃w̃ nasjoˈnaw dus ˈpɔvuz ĩˈd͡ʒiʒenɐs] , lit. ' National Indigenous People Foundation ' ) or FUNAI is a Brazilian governmental protection agency for Amerindian interests and their culture. In 1910, the Indian Protection Service (Serviço de Proteção ao Índio), or the SPI, was founded under
152-647: A Country of Wild, Naked, Grim, Man-Eating People in the New World, America . There are documented accounts of smallpox being used as a biological weapon by some Brazilian villagers seeking to eliminate nearby Amerindian tribes, not always aggressively. One notable instance, according to anthropologist Mércio Pereira Gomes, occurred in Caxias, in southern Maranhão. Local farmers, desiring more land for their cattle farms, gave clothing from sick villagers (which would normally have been burned to prevent further infection) to
228-545: A federal police officer with strong connections to agribusiness , as the new president of the FUNAI. Silva was also nominated but not confirmed as an aide to Nabhan Garcia , a senior agriculture ministry official and president of an agribusiness lobby. According to The Guardian , former FUNAI president Gen Franklimberg de Freitas has said that Garcia "froths hate" for indigenous people and that he sees FUNAI as "an obstacle to national development". In April 2020, FUNAI authorized
304-562: A government agency is important for Indian populations, but this also means that FUNAI, as a part of the government, has authority to act contrary to the welfare of the Indians. For example, the Indian Statute permitted mining on indigenous lands; a decree in 1983 restricted mining to minerals necessary only for national defense and security, but still allowed private companies to have licenses and use indigenous labor if necessary. In
380-479: A high extinction rate. To investigate this further, we applied a novel principal components multiple logistic regression test to Bayesian serial coalescent simulations. The analysis supported a scenario in which European colonization caused a substantial loss of pre-Columbian lineages." Linguistic studies have supported genetic findings, revealing ancient patterns between the languages spoken in Siberia and those in
456-938: A ministerial position in the Brazilian government, when she was appointed as a minister. Indigenous peoples in Brazil The Indigenous peoples in Brazil are the peoples who lived in Brazil before European contact around 1500 and their descendants. Indigenous peoples once comprised an estimated 2,000 district tribes and nations inhabiting what is now Brazil. The 2010 Brazil census recorded 305 ethnic groups of Indigenous people who spoke 274 Indigenous languages ; however, almost 77% speak Portuguese. Historically, many Indigenous peoples of Brazil were semi- nomadic and combined hunting, fishing, and gathering with migratory agriculture. Many tribes faced extinction as
532-685: A result of European settlement, and many others were assimilated into the general Brazilian population . The Indigenous population was decimated by European diseases, declining from a pre-Columbian high of 2 million to 3 million to approximately 300,000 by 1997, distributed among 200 tribes. According to the 2022 IBGE census, 1,693,535 Brazilians classified themselves as Indigenous, and the census recorded 274 Indigenous languages spoken by 304 different Indigenous ethnic groups. On 18 January 2007, Fundação Nacional do Índio reported 67 remaining uncontacted tribes in Brazil, up from 40 known in 2005. With this increase, Brazil surpassed New Guinea , becoming
608-834: A result, reservation lands suffered massive deforestation and flooding. The public works projects attracted very few migrants, but those who did arrive—largely poor settlers—brought new diseases that further devastated the Amerindian population. The 1988 Brazilian Constitution recognizes the right of Indigenous peoples to pursue their traditional ways of life and to the permanent and exclusive possession of their "traditional lands," which are demarcated as Indigenous Territories . Additionally, Indigenous peoples are legally recognized as one of several " traditional peoples ". In practice, however, Brazil's Indigenous people still face significant threats and challenges to their continued existence and cultural heritage. The process of land demarcation
684-603: A seismic political shift occurred when the Brazilian military took control of the government and abolished all existing political parties, creating a two-party system. For the next two decades, Brazil was ruled by a series of generals. The country's mantra was "Brazil, the Country of the Future," which the military government used to justify a massive push into the Amazon to exploit its resources, aiming to transform Brazil into one of
760-673: A task attributed to FUNAI by the constitution – to the Agriculture Ministry. Several months later, Brazil's National Congress overturned these changes. According to Al Jazeera , in February 2019, several indigenous organisations reported to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on violence exerted against indigenous communities including homicides, stonings, deforesting, threats and arson. In July 2019, Bolsonaro appointed Marcelo Xavier da Silva,
836-599: A third migrant wave. The initial settlement of the Americas was followed by a rapid expansion southward along the coast, with limited gene flow later, especially in South America . An exception to this is the Chibcha speakers, whose ancestry includes contributions from both North and South America. Another study, focused on mitochondrial DNA ( mtDNA ), which is inherited only through the maternal line, revealed that
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#1732791053594912-543: Is a division within FUNAI to handle dealings with isolated indigenous tribes . Article 231 of the 1988 Constitution expresses indigenous peoples' rights to preserve their culture, traditions, and customs; since contact with mainstream society could jeopardize isolated tribes' culture, FUNAI undertakes efforts to maintain these tribes' isolation. The CGIIRC division is responsible for protecting areas with known isolated tribes from outside contact, since outside contact could spread disease within indigenous communities. The department
988-601: Is present in 12 regions of Brazil's Amazon region, and almost all of Brazil's known uncontacted tribes reside within already demarcated lands. FUNAI has records of about 107 isolated Indians' presence. The Brazilian Constitution of 1988 recognized Indians' rights to practice their customs without pressure to assimilate or integrate into mainstream Brazilian society. Article 231 also defines Indians' rights to their lands, and outlines FUNAI's responsibility to demarcate those lands. The article also provides that mining and other energy resources on indigenous lands are only allowed with
1064-645: Is slow, often involving protracted legal battles, and FUNAI lacks sufficient resources to enforce legal protections on Indigenous lands. Since the 1980s, exploitation of the Amazon Rainforest for mining, logging, and cattle ranching had surged, which poses a severe threat to the region's Indigenous population. Settlers illegally encroaching on Indigenous land continue to destroy the environment necessary for traditional ways of life, provoke violent confrontations, and spread disease. Demarcation problem Too Many Requests If you report this error to
1140-637: The Tupi (speakers of Tupi–Guarani languages ), who occupied almost the entire length of the Brazilian coast, and the Tapuia (a general term for non-Tupi groups, usually Jê-speaking peoples), who primarily resided in the interior. The Portuguese arrived at the end of a long pre-colonial conflict between the Tupis and Tapuias, which had led to the defeat and expulsion of the Tapuias from most coastal areas. Although
1216-812: The Amazon River basin from the Northwest. The second and third migratory waves from Siberia, which are thought to have led to the Athabaskan , Aleut , Inuit , and Yupik people , apparently did not reach farther than the southern United States and Canada , respectively. An analysis of Amerindian Y-chromosome DNA reveals specific clustering within much of the South American population. The micro-satellite diversity and distributions of Y-chromosome lineages specific to South America suggest that certain Amerindian populations have been isolated since
1292-591: The Amazon River up to the delta, and the Nuaraque group, whose constituent tribes inhabited several areas, including most of the upper Amazon (west of present-day Manaus ) and significant pockets in modern Amapá and Roraima states. The names by which different Tupi tribes were recorded by Portuguese and French authors in the 16th century are poorly understood. Most do not seem to be proper names but rather descriptions of relationships, usually familial—e.g., Tupi means "first father," Tupinambá means "relatives of
1368-732: The Andean civilizations , did not keep written records or erect stone monuments. The humid climate and acidic soil have destroyed almost all traces of their material culture, including wood and bones . Therefore, what is known about the region's history before 1500 has been inferred and reconstructed from limited archaeological evidence, such as ceramics and stone arrowheads . The most conspicuous remains of these societies are vast mounds of discarded shellfish , known as sambaquis , found at some coastal sites that were continuously inhabited for more than 5,000 years. Additionally, substantial "black earth" ( terra preta ) deposits in several places along
1444-708: The International Labour Organization , the government is required to discuss legal changes that would affect indigenous populations. This led to hundreds of indigenous people, deeming themselves the Revolutionary Indigenous Camp, to protest outside the Ministry of Justice building. The protesters called for the resignation of FUNAI president Márcio Augusto Freitas de Meira and the revocation of Decree 7056. Protesters were eventually forcibly removed from their camp outside
1520-554: The Ministry of Indigenous People , and also renamed the Fundação Nacional do Índio (National Indian Foundation – FUNAI) with the name of Fundação Nacional dos Povos Indígenas (National Indigenous People Foundation) , in addition to linking this foundation authority to the newly created ministry. On the same day, Sônia Guajajara , a federal deputy elected for São Paulo in 2022 , became the first indigenous woman to hold
1596-520: The Portuguese explorers first arrived in Brazil in April 1500, they found, to their astonishment, a wide coastline rich in resources and teeming with hundreds of thousands of Indigenous people living in a "paradise" of natural abundance. Pero Vaz de Caminha , the official scribe of Pedro Álvares Cabral , the commander of the discovery fleet that landed in the present state of Bahia , wrote a letter to
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#17327910535941672-1027: The Tamoio Confederation , and the Portuguese. Occasionally, the Amerindians allied with Portugal’s enemies, such as the French during the France Antarctique episode in Rio de Janeiro . At other times, they sided with Portugal against rival tribes. During this period, a German soldier named Hans Staden was captured by the Tupinambá and later released. He documented his experiences in his famous book Warhaftige Historia und Beschreibung eyner Landtschafft der Wilden Nacketen, Grimmigen Menschfresser-Leuthen in der Newenwelt America gelegen (1557), which translates to True Story and Description of
1748-613: The Xingu National Park , was established by the federal government in 1961. During the social and political upheaval of the 1960s, reports of mistreatment of Amerindians increasingly reached Brazil's urban centers and began to affect public opinion. In 1967, following the publication of the Figueiredo Report , commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior, the military government launched an investigation into
1824-581: The "relatives of the ancients" (Tupinambá), which could mean relatives of the Tamoio or a Tamoio term for relatives of the old Tupi in the upper Amazon basin. The "grandsons" (Temiminó) might represent a splinter group, while the "side-neighbors" (Tupiniquim) could denote recent arrivals still establishing their presence. However, by 1870, the Tupi tribes' population had declined to 250,000 Indigenous people, and by 1890, it had diminished to approximately 100,000. When
1900-424: The 1950s and 1960s, following the death of Rondon, the SPI's officials became corrupt. In 1967, the officials were accused of sexual perversion, abuse, and the massacre of entire tribes by introducing diseases and pesticides, leading to an international outcry for the disbandment of SPI. Following this disbandment, FUNAI was created to take over SPI's responsibilities and remedy the damages caused by corruption. FUNAI
1976-484: The 1950s, American archaeologist Betty Meggers , in some of her earliest research, suggested that the society migrated from the Andes and settled on the island. Many researchers believed that the Andes were populated by Paleoindian migrants from North America, who gradually moved south after being hunters on the plains. In the 1980s, American archaeologist Anna Curtenius Roosevelt led excavations and geophysical surveys of
2052-441: The Amazon are believed to be ancient garbage dumps ( middens ). Recent excavations of these deposits in the middle and upper Amazon have uncovered remains of massive settlements, containing tens of thousands of homes, indicating a complex social and economic structure. Studies of the wear patterns of precontact inhabitants of coastal Brazil found that the surfaces of anterior teeth facing the tongue were more worn than those facing
2128-516: The Amazon, was a natural explorer with a keen curiosity. In 1910, he helped establish the Serviço de Proteção aos Índios (SPI), now known as FUNAI ( Fundação Nacional do Índio , National Foundation for Indians). SPI was the first federal agency tasked with protecting Amerindians and preserving their culture. In 1914, Rondon accompanied Theodore Roosevelt on his famous expedition to map the Amazon and discover new species. During these travels, Rondon
2204-597: The Americas across the Bering Strait and along the western coast of North America in at least three separate waves. In Brazil, most native tribes living in the land by 1500 are thought to be descended from the first wave of Siberian migrants, who are believed to have crossed the Bering Land Bridge at the end of the last Ice Age, between 13,000 and 17,000 years ago. This initial migration would have taken some time to reach present-day Brazil, likely entering
2280-549: The Americas via a coastal route around 16,000 years ago, following a period of isolation in eastern Beringia for approximately 2,400 to 9,000 years after separating from eastern Siberian populations. After spreading rapidly throughout the Americas, limited gene flow in South America resulted in a distinct phylogeographic structure of populations, which persisted over time. All ancient mitochondrial lineages detected in this study were absent from modern data sets, suggesting
2356-722: The Americas. Two 2015 autosomal DNA genetic studies confirmed the Siberian origins of the Native peoples of the Americas. However, an ancient signal of shared ancestry with the Indigenous peoples of Australia and Melanesia was detected among the Native populations of the Amazon region . This migration from Siberia is estimated to have occurred around 23,000 years ago. Brazilian native peoples, unlike those in Mesoamerica and
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2432-510: The Amerindians. Instead, the SPI sought to integrate tribal groups into mainstream Brazilian society. The promise of wealth from reservation lands attracted cattle ranchers and settlers, who continued encroaching on Indigenous territories, with the SPI facilitating this intrusion. Between 1900 and 1967, an estimated 98 Indigenous tribes were wiped out. Due largely to the efforts of the Villas-Bôas brothers , Brazil's first Indigenous reserve,
2508-587: The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples and Organizations in Brazil (CAPOIB) worked together in opposition to this decision. The land was finally recognized as an indigenous territory in 2005. On 28 December 2009, President Luís Inácio (Lula) da Silva signed Presidential Decree 7056, also known as the "FUNAI Statute". The decree restructured FUNAI, effectively closing hundreds of indigenous posts and regional FUNAI offices. The government never consulted with indigenous populations, even though under Convention 169 of
2584-800: The Europeans, against which they had no natural immunity , leading to high mortality rates. Jesuit priests arrived with the first Governor General as clerical assistants to the colonists, with the intention of converting the Indigenous people to Catholicism . They argued that the Indigenous people should be regarded as human and succeeded in obtaining a Papal bull , Sublimis Deus , which declared that, regardless of their beliefs, they should be recognized as fully rational human beings with rights to freedom and private property, and thus should not be enslaved. Jesuit priests, such as Fathers José de Anchieta and Manuel da Nóbrega , studied and recorded
2660-477: The Indigenous languages and founded mixed settlements, such as São Paulo dos Campos de Piratininga , where colonists and Amerindians lived side by side, spoke the same Língua Geral (common language), and freely intermarried. They also began to establish more remote villages inhabited only by "civilized" Amerindians, known as Missions or reductions (see the article on the Guarani people for more details). By
2736-409: The Indigenous people, including establishing the first Indigenous reserves. The situation for the Amerindians improved around the turn of the century when Cândido Rondon , a man of both Portuguese and Bororo ancestry, and an explorer and progressive officer in the Brazilian army, began working to gain the Amerindians' trust and establish peace. Rondon, assigned to extend telegraph communications into
2812-601: The Jesuits attempted to 'Europeanize' the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil. In the mid-1770s, the fragile coexistence between the Indigenous peoples and the colonists was once again threatened. Due to a complex diplomatic situation involving Portugal, Spain, and the Vatican , the Jesuits were expelled from Brazil, and their missions were confiscated and sold. A number of wars broke out between various tribes, such as
2888-606: The King of Portugal describing in glowing terms the beauty of the land. In "Histoire des découvertes et conquêtes des Portugais dans le Nouveau Monde," Lafitau described the natives as people who wore no clothing but painted their entire bodies red. Their ears, noses, lips, and cheeks were pierced. The men would shave the front, top of the head, and over the ears, while women typically wore their hair loose or in braids. Both men and women accessorized with noisy porcelain collars and bracelets, feathers, and dried fruits. Lafitau also described
2964-579: The Macuxi, Wapixanas , Ingaricós, Taurepangs and Patamonas peoples. FUNAI identified almost 1.8 million hectares of these lands to be demarcated in 1977, but opposition from farmers and mining companies in the region prevented the completion of its demarcation. After Decree 1775, the claims against the Raposa/Serra do Sol regions were backed by the Roraima state government, which supported breaking up
3040-471: The Ministry of Justice Building, and the Decree remained in effect, decreasing the quality and efficiency FUNAI could provide to indigenous peoples. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government approved 81 applications for demarcation, but Dilma Rousseff's government approved only 11 territories from 2011 to 2015. The former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has expressed his determination to increase
3116-484: The SPI was disbanded. The same year, the government established the Fundação Nacional do Índio (National Indian Foundation), known as FUNAI, which is responsible for protecting the interests, cultures, and rights of Indigenous peoples in Brazil. Some tribes have become significantly integrated into Brazilian society. The unacculturated tribes that have been contacted by FUNAI are supposed to be protected and accommodated within Brazilian society to varying degrees. By 1987, it
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3192-439: The SPI. It was soon revealed that the SPI was corrupt and failing to protect natives, their lands, and their culture. The 5,000-page report cataloged atrocities including slavery, sexual abuse, torture, and mass murder. It was alleged that agency officials, in collaboration with land speculators, were systematically slaughtering the Amerindians by intentionally distributing disease-laced clothing. Criminal prosecutions followed, and
3268-478: The Timbira. The clothing infected the entire tribe, who had neither immunity nor a cure. Similar incidents occurred in other villages throughout South America. The 1840s brought trade and wealth to the Amazon with the development of the vulcanization process for rubber , leading to a worldwide surge in demand. The best rubber trees in the world grew in the Amazon, and thousands of rubber tappers began working
3344-400: The ancestors," Tupiniquim means "side-neighbors," Tamoio means "grandfather," Temiminó means "grandson," Tabajara means "in-laws," and so on. Some etymologists believe these names reflect the ordering of migration waves of Tupi people from the interior to the coasts. For example, the first Tupi wave to reach the coast might have been referred to as "grandfathers" (Tamoio), soon joined by
3420-436: The approval of Congress, and after taking into account the Indigenous populations' input. The Constitution set a goal of demarcating indigenous lands in five years, but by 1993 only 291 of 559 indigenous territories were demarcated. In 1991, Decree 22 outlined five steps FUNAI must follow to demarcate indigenous lands: In 1996, Brazil's President Cardoso passed Decree 1775 , which effectively revoked Decree 22 and expanded
3496-623: The area into smaller settlements. Despite FUNAI's recommendations to demarcate the entire indigenous region, commercial and state pressure led Justice Nelson Jobim to order the reduction of land under Decree 1775. FUNAI, along with other indigenous rights organizations like the Indigenous Council of Roraima (CIR), Coordination of the Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB), and Council for
3572-474: The coastal Tupi and Tapuia tribes were primarily agriculturalists. The subtropical Guarani cultivated maize , tropical Tupi cultivated manioc ( cassava ), and highland Jês cultivated peanuts as the staple of their diet. Supplementary crops included beans , sweet potatoes , cará ( yam ), jerimum ( pumpkin ), and cumari ( capsicum pepper). Behind the coasts, the interior of Brazil was primarily dominated by Tapuia (Jê) people, although significant sections of
3648-408: The coastal Tupi were divided into sub-tribes that were frequently hostile to each other, they were culturally and linguistically homogeneous. The fact that early Europeans encountered essentially the same people and language along the Brazilian coast greatly facilitated communication and interaction. Coastal Sequence c. 1500 (north to south): With the exception of the hunter-gatherer Goitacases ,
3724-549: The colonists, compounded by slavery and European violence. The Indigenous people were traditionally semi-nomadic tribes who subsisted on hunting, fishing, gathering, and migratory agriculture. For centuries, they lived semi-nomadic lives, managing the forests to meet their needs. When the Portuguese arrived in 1500, the natives primarily inhabited the coast and the banks of major rivers. Initially, Europeans viewed them as noble savages , and miscegenation began almost immediately. Portuguese claims of tribal warfare, cannibalism , and
3800-411: The country with the largest number of uncontacted peoples in the world. Questions about the original settlement of the Americas have led to various hypothetical models. The origins of these Indigenous peoples remain a matter of debate among archaeologists . Anthropological and genetic evidence suggests that most Amerindian people descended from migrants from Siberia and Mongolia who entered
3876-463: The deaths of tens of thousands. The diseases spread rapidly along Indigenous trade routes, likely leading to the annihilation of entire tribes without direct contact with Europeans. By 1800, the population of Colonial Brazil had reached approximately 2.33 million, of which only around 174,900 were Indigenous. By 1850, that number had dwindled to an estimated 78,400 out of a total population of 5.8 million. The mutual feeling of wonderment and goodwill
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#17327910535943952-404: The demarcation process would prevent any future challenges of completed lands on the basis of unconstitutionality. The decree was widely contested as a violation of indigenous rights, earning the nickname of the "Genocide Decree," due to the power it gave to commercial interests to exploit Indian lands. By April 1996, FUNAI had received over 500 appeals for over 40 indigenous territories that were in
4028-457: The early 1970s, FUNAI president General Jerônimo Bandeira de Mello approved the plan for a highway that would run through Brazil's Amazon to Peru's frontier. This highway granted access to the previously inaccessible interior of the Amazon, allowing government and private agencies to use it for their advantage. The highway led to the relocation and extermination of many indigenous tribes by the government and other private agencies, and logging along
4104-535: The economic exploitation of Brazil's resources and to increase commercial mining and farming on indigenous reserves. Within hours of taking office in January 2019, Bolsonaro made two major changes to FUNAI: He moved FUNAI from under the Ministry of Justice to be under the newly created Ministry of Women, Family and Human Rights , and he delegated the identification of the traditional habitats of indigenous people and their designation as inviolable protected territories −
4180-463: The first evidence of a complex society on Marajó. Further evidence of mound building suggests that well-populated, complex, and sophisticated settlements developed on the island, as only such settlements were believed capable of undertaking extensive projects like major earthworks. The extent, level of complexity, and resource interactions of the Marajoara culture have been subjects of dispute. In
4256-551: The highway directly led to deforestation along the affected parts of the Amazon. Sydney Possuelo was one of the sertanistas/explorers sent to find and relocate the tribes living along the path of the highway. Possuelo and other sertanistas were disturbed by the number of indigenous deaths their contact caused, and met in 1987 to try to stop it. Possuelo's efforts greatly influenced FUNAI's change in policy from "pacification" and integration to preservation. The Central Department for Isolated Indians and Recently Contacted Indians (CGIIRC)
4332-538: The initial colonization of the region. According to a 2012 autosomal DNA genetic study, Native Americans descend from at least three main migrant waves from Siberia. Most of their ancestry traces back to a single ancestral population, referred to as the 'First Americans'. However, Inuit-speaking populations from the Arctic inherited nearly half of their ancestry from a second Siberian migrant wave, while Na-dene speakers inherited about one-tenth of their ancestry from
4408-509: The interior (notably the upper reaches of the Xingu , Teles Pires , and Juruena Rivers , roughly corresponding to modern Mato Grosso state) were the original pre-migration Tupi-Guarani homelands. In addition to the Tupi and Tapuia, two other Indigenous mega-groups were commonly identified in the interior: the Caribs , who inhabited much of what is now northwestern Brazil, including both shores of
4484-461: The interior to claim territory for the Portuguese crown and to search for gold and precious stones . Intending to profit from the sugar trade , the Portuguese decided to cultivate sugar cane in Brazil and to use Indigenous slaves as the workforce, following the example of the Spanish colonies. However, capturing Indigenous people proved difficult. They were soon afflicted by diseases brought by
4560-447: The large-scale agriculture needed to support large populations and complex social formations, such as chiefdoms . The Xingu peoples built large settlements connected by roads and bridges, often featuring moats. Their development peaked between 1200 CE and 1600 CE, with their population reaching into the tens of thousands. On the eve of the Portuguese arrival in 1500, the coastal areas of Brazil were dominated by two major groups:
4636-659: The leadership of Brazilian Marshal Candido Rondon . Rondon created the foundation's motto: "Die if necessary, but never kill." Drawing from his Positivism , Rondon led the SPI with the belief that the native Indians should be allowed to develop at their own pace. With state assistance and protection, Indians would eventually integrate into modern society. The SPI then began its mission to "pacify" Indian communities by setting up posts in their territories to foster communication and protection. Efforts were initially met by opposition and hostility from Indian groups; there were reports of SPI agents being attacked and shot by arrows. During
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#17327910535944712-492: The leading economies of the world. Construction began on a transcontinental highway across the Amazon basin, designed to encourage migration to the region and facilitate trade. Funded by the World Bank , thousands of square miles of forest were cleared without regard for reservation status. Following the highway projects, giant hydroelectric projects were initiated, and vast areas of forest were cleared for cattle ranching. As
4788-411: The lips. Researchers believe this wear was caused by using teeth to peel and shred abrasive plants . The Marajoara culture flourished on Marajó island at the mouth of the Amazon River . Archaeologists have uncovered sophisticated pottery in their excavations on the island. These pieces are large, elaborately painted, and incised with representations of plants and animals. This discovery provided
4864-429: The maternal ancestry of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas traces back to a few founding lineages from Siberia, likely arriving via the Bering Strait . According to this study, the ancestors of Native Americans likely remained near the Bering Strait for a time before rapidly spreading throughout the Americas and eventually reaching South America . A 2016 study on mtDNA lineages found that "a small population entered
4940-516: The middle of the 16th century, Jesuit priests, at the behest of Portugal's monarchy, had established missions throughout the country's colonies. They aimed to Europeanize and convert the Indigenous populations to Catholicism. Some historians argue that the Jesuits provided a period of relative stability for the Amerindians and opposed using them for slave labor. However, the Jesuits also contributed to European imperialism. Many historians view Jesuit involvement as an ethnocide of Indigenous culture, where
5016-404: The mound Teso dos Bichos. She concluded that the society that constructed the mounds originated on the island itself. The pre-Columbian culture of Marajó may have developed social stratification and supported a population as large as 100,000 people. The Native Americans of the Amazon rainforest may have used their method of developing and working in terra preta to make the land suitable for
5092-417: The plantations. When the Amerindians proved to be a difficult labor force, peasants from surrounding areas were brought in. This created ongoing tension between the Indigenous population and the new arrivals, as the Amerindians felt their lands were being invaded in the pursuit of wealth. In the 20th century, the Brazilian government adopted a more humanitarian approach and began offering official protection to
5168-463: The process of being demarcated. FUNAI followed procedure and submitted its official opinion to the Ministry of Justice, rejecting the appeals that were brought against the indigenous lands. Justice Nelson Jobim sided with FUNAI on all except eight territories, ordering further investigation. One of these territories was the Raposa/Serra do Sol region in the northern state of Roraima , home to
5244-543: The pursuit of Amazonian brazilwood for its prized red dye convinced the colonists that they needed to "civilize" the natives (originally, the Portuguese named Brazil Terra de Santa Cruz , but it later acquired its current name (see List of meanings of countries' names ) from the brazilwood ). However, like the Spanish in North America, the Portuguese brought diseases to which many Amerindians had no immunity. Measles , smallpox , tuberculosis , and influenza caused
5320-564: The registration and sale of land on unratified or unregistered indigenous territories. This could affect 237 reserves in 24 states. However, in June 2020 the state attorney general of Mato Grosso put in a bid for annulment. He called the authorization a dereliction of FUNAI's own mission. In his first act of government, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued the Provisional Measure No. 1,154, of 1 January 2023, which created
5396-420: The ritualistic nature of their cannibalism practices and highlighted the important role of women in the household. Before the arrival of Europeans, the territory of present-day Brazil had an estimated population of between 1 and 11.25 million inhabitants. During the first 100 years of contact, the Amerindian population was reduced by 90%. This drastic decline was primarily due to diseases and illnesses brought by
5472-418: The ways that commercial interests could contest the demarcation of lands. Individuals or companies were allowed from the beginning of the demarcation process until 90 days after FUNAI issued their report to submit an appeal showing that the contested lands do not meet the qualifications of indigenous lands as stated in the constitution. The government claimed that allowing people to contest indigenous lands during
5548-458: Was appalled by the treatment of the Indigenous people by settlers and developers, and he became their lifelong friend and protector. Rondon, who died in 1958, is considered a national hero in Brazil. The Brazilian state of Rondônia is named in his honor. After Rondon's pioneering work, the SPI was handed over to bureaucrats and military officers, and its effectiveness declined after 1957. The new officials did not share Rondon's deep commitment to
5624-546: Was created by Law No. 5,371, under jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice and headquartered in Brasilia . On 19 December 1973, Law No. 6001 officially placed Indians under the protection of FUNAI through the Indian Statute. The Indian Statute, while aiming to demarcate all Indian lands by 1978, also had the main goal to integrate Indians into society as soon as possible, so that the Amazon and its people could start contributing economically to Brazilian society. Protection from
5700-405: Was recognized that unnecessary contact with these tribes was causing illness and social disintegration. Uncontacted tribes are now meant to be shielded from intrusion and interference in their lifestyle and territory. However, the exploitation of rubber and other Amazonian natural resources has led to a new cycle of invasion, expulsion, massacres, and death, which continues to this day. In 1964,
5776-436: Was to end in the subsequent years. The Portuguese colonists , all males, began to have children with female Amerindians, creating a new generation of mixed-race people who spoke Amerindian languages, including a Tupi language called Nheengatu . The children of these Portuguese men and Amerindian women soon formed the majority of the population. Groups of fierce explorers organized expeditions known as " bandeiras " (flags) into
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