According to 2006 data from the National Health Foundation (Funasa), the Guarani Indians form the largest indigenous group in Brazil, with almost 10% of the 454,000 Indians who currently inhabit the national territory. There are 220 indigenous ethnic groups in Brazil, some of which have very few representatives – half of the indigenous population is concentrated in the ten largest groups. Although the current indigenous population seems small compared to the 5 million natives who inhabited Brazil at the time of the Discovery, it grows at an annual rate of 3.5% – the national average is 1.6%. “From the 60s onwards, a series of factors, including the strengthening of health and education policies for the Indians, contributed to the indigenous population starting to grow for the first time since the arrival of the Portuguese”, explains anthropologist Maria Elizabeth Brêa, from the National Indian Foundation (Funai).
The ten largest indigenous groups add up to 211,000 people – half of the total population
1. GUARANTEE
POPULATION – 46 566
The “Brazilian” Guaranis (there are also Guaranis in Paraguay and Bolivia) are divided into three groups: caiová, ñandeva and mbya. Although they have common customs – such as living in large family groups (tekoha) led politically and religiously by one of the grandparents -, each group speaks a particular dialect and has its peculiarities: polygamy, for example, is prohibited among the Kayovás, but it is well accepted among the ñandeva
2. TICUNA
POPULATION – 26 813
The Ticunas live in villages along the Solimões River, both in Brazil and in Peru and Colombia, and are adept at hunting and fishing. Family nuclei are grouped into two “halves”: clans named after birds and clans named after land plants and animals. A Ticuna Indian always marries a representative of the opposite “half” and the new family inherits the habits of the man’s clan. Their language is phonal, that is, intonation changes the meaning of words.
3. CAINGANG
POPULATION – 25 755
At weddings, the Caingangues also cross their “halves”, like the Ticunas. But among the Caingangues, the new family will live with the bride’s father. In the hierarchy of communities, the highest authority is the cacique, democratically elected among men over 15 years old. The elected chief appoints a deputy chief, usually coming from another “half”, in order to facilitate political planning, since punishments can only be applied by individuals from the same “half”.
4. MACUXI
POPULATION – 23,182
As they live in a region with prolonged periods of drought and rain, the Macuxi alternate between two very different ways of life. During the dry season, they form large agglomerations and take the opportunity to hunt, fish, raise cattle, grow food and collect wood and clay – some villages also prospect for gold. In the rainy season, they spread into small groups that live on food stored during the dry season.
5. TERENA
POPULATION – 19 851
It is the most “urbanized” indigenous people: there are terenas working in street commerce in Campo Grande, MS, and harvesting sugar cane. One of the justifications for “urbanization” is the overpopulation – from the reserves – the surplus population leaves the villages in search of odd jobs for farmers or underemployment in the cities. Contrary to what happens among the Caingangues, when the Terena get married they go to live with the father of the groom
6. GUAJAJARA
POPULATION – 19,524
In the past, the Guajajaras did not settle in one place for a long time, but today this custom has been lost and the villages, in addition to being permanent, can be large, with more than 400 inhabitants. Agriculture is the main economic activity, but crafts are also an important source of income. Among the products cultivated is marijuana, the illegal commercialization of which generates violent conflicts with the Military and Federal Police.
7. IANOMAMI
POPULATION – 16,037
The Yanomami Indigenous Land, nestled in the middle of the tropical forest, is an important center for the preservation of Amazonian biodiversity, constantly threatened by miners. The Yanomami have the custom of agglomerating their members: several families live together under the roof of large dwellings and generally marry relatives. Like the survivors in Lost, the Yanomami distrust the “others” (people of another ethnicity, whites or Indians)
8. XAVANTE
POPULATION – 12 848
The approximately 70 Xavante villages in MT follow the same configuration: houses lined up in a semicircle. At one end of the village, there is a house reserved for boys between the ages of 10 and 18 – they stay there for five years and, at the end of that period, they leave ready for adult life. A party marks this transition. The Xavantes usually paint their bodies black and red, in addition to wearing a kind of cotton tie during ceremonies.
9. PATAXO
POPULATION – 10 664
They gained national prominence in 1997 with the death of the Indian Galdino, set on fire by upper-class youth from Brasília while he was sleeping on a street in the federal capital. The main livelihood of the Pataxó is crafts, with pieces that mix wood, seeds, feathers, clay and vines. At parties, they usually dance the typical auê, serve mukussuy – fish roasted in palm leaves – and the traditional kauím – a kind of cassava wine.
10. POTIGUARA
POPULATION – 10,036
The Potiguaras are of Tupi-Guarani origin, but today they communicate in good (and not so clear) Portuguese. They often refer to non-Indians as “private people” and almost every village has a Catholic church and a patron saint. The name of the people means “shrimp eaters”, because, in addition to making a living from agricultural activities, hunting, fishing and plant extractivism, they are great collectors of crustaceans and molluscs.