Guardians OF THE AMAZONIA
Actualmente en Brasil viven alrededor de 305 tribus que suman un total de unas 900.000 personas, lo que equivale al 0,4% de la población brasileña.
El Gobierno ha reconocido 690 territorios para sus habitantes indígenas, que abarcan aproximadamente el 13% de la superficie del país. Casi toda esta reserva territorial (el 98,5%) se ubica en la Amazonia.
Pese a siglos de contacto con la sociedad fronteriza en continua expansión, en la mayoría de los casos han conservado con determinación su lengua y sus costumbres, a pesar del continuo robo masivo e intrusión en sus tierras.
Brazil is currently home to some 305 tribes totalling some 900,000 people, equivalent to 0.4 per cent of the Brazilian population.
The government has recognised 690 territories for its indigenous inhabitants, covering approximately 13 per cent of the country’s land area. Almost all of this territorial reserve (98.5 per cent) is located in the Amazon.
Despite centuries of contact with the ever-expanding frontier society, in most cases they have steadfastly preserved their language and customs, despite continued massive theft and encroachment on their lands.
Puyanawa
The Puyanawa suffered, as did many other peoples of the Acre, with the growth of rubber and rubber tapping activities in the region in the early 20th century. Since the first contacts with non-Indians, many have died in clashes or from diseases acquired in the process. The survivors were forced to work in rubber and quickly saw their way of life blighted as a result of the methods used by the “rubber colonels” to keep the Indians under their yoke. The Puyanawa were dispossessed of their land, catechised and educated in schools, which forbade the expression of any trace of their culture.
It was only with the beginning of the process of demarcation of their lands that the Puyanawa culture was once again valued by the Indians themselves, who have made efforts to recover their native language, a task that is being carried out with difficulty, given the small number of speakers.
Projects
Our association is currently collaborating with the Puyanáwa people, carrying out several projects that encompass a large part of the mission and objectives of “Guardians de l’Amazònia”:
