2.71a
BRAZIL MATTERS !
Ethnic Groups
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Brazil has a multiracial population with roots from many continents.
The largest ethnic groups are white, mixed race and Afro-Brazilians.
The ancestral land of the indigenous tribes is threatened by land grabbers.
Brazil’s population has roots from many parts of the world: South American (indigenous natives
from Brazil); European (mainly from Portugal and Italy); African (from slaves brought by the Europeans who settled the country) and Asian (Arab migrants from Lebanon, Syria and Japan). Recent studies have used DNA samples to identify the ethnic make-up of Brazil. The history of Brazil’s indigenous people is one of how their land has been stolen and of the genocide of the indigenous tribes. In surveys and censuses, many people give their physical appearance, not their genetic background. This makes data fluid.
Indigenous population in municipalities
Source Funai/IBGE
Source IBGE
The indigenous population of Brazil is referred to in many different ways. These include Amerindian, Indian, índios, natives, aboriginal Brazilians and indígenas. When Europeans arrived in Brazil, in 1500, there were approximately 5 million natives. Many died of diseases, such as smallpox,
introduced by the Europeans; some were enslaved, some Christianised, but many were killed. By
the mid C19th, there were only about 100,000 remaining.
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2.71a
2.71b
BRAZIL MATTERS !
Ethnic Groups (continued)
According to the (most recent) 2010 census, Brazil had 817,963 indigenous people; this represented about 0.4% of the population. Current estimates vary widely. It is generally believed that
there are now about a million indigenous people (0.5%) in Brazil. A DNA study in 2000 found
that over a quarter of Brazilians had at least one indigenous ancestor. Most Brazilians who consider themselves indigenous live in the North region, where there are strong indigenous cultural
influences. About 40% live in urban communities; most of the indigenous tribes live in rural or remote protected areas, mainly in the North, with some in the Central West regions. Many tribes are
uncontacted, especially in the western border areas of the country. About 13% of the Amazonian
forests are occupied by indigenous people.
Many of the tribes, and the forests where they live, are threatened by commercial interests including illegal logging, mining activities and land grabbers. Indigenous lands are often protected
by law, but authorities react slowly when the tribes are attacked. Disputes are often violent and
indigenous leaders have been assassinated. Sometimes, local politicians are implicated in the
stealing of indigenous territory. The government agency charged with protecting the natives is
FUNAI. Their website is: http://www.funai.gov.br/. Many pressure groups, such as Survival International, are trying to protect the rights of the indigenous people. A useful link is: http://
www.survivalinternational.org/.
According to Survival International, there are about 240 tribes totalling 900,000 people. The
Government has recognised 690 areas, totalling 13% of Brazil’s land mass. Almost all the reserved land is in the North of Brazil. In spite of the stealing of their land and the genocide that
sometimes occurs, most groups retain their languages (more than 200), culture, myths, music,
dancing and other traditions. By the 1980s, the number of indigenous people in Brazil had fallen
to about 300,000. Since then, thanks to International concern, laws to protect them have been
introduced. As a result, the numbers are now increasing.
The largest group in the South of Brazil, mainly in Mato Grosso do Sul, is the Guarani (over
40,000). They have lost most of their land to farmers to grow soy or sugar or to raise cattle. Many
Guarani live in reserves; other that are displaced live on roadsides. Many of their leaders have
been killed by gunmen hired by ranchers. Land disputes continue.
In the North, About 20,000
Yanomami have the largest territory,
over 9 million hectares, in Amazonas, spanning the border with
Venezuela. The largest tribe in Amazonas is the 40,000 strong Tikuna.
Other tribes include the Awá (450).
Many of the tribes are small; often
they number only a few hundred;
some have only a handful of people.
It is believed that there may be as
many as 80 uncontacted tribes.
They live mainly in remote border
areas. The tribes are vulnerable to
diseases as they have no natural
immunity to many such as flu or
measles.
Educating Brazilians about indigenous culture is important. This photo
shows a member of the Fulni-ô tribe teaching children in Brasília, on
April 19, the Day of the Indians (Dia do Índio).
A. Cruz - ABr
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2.71b
2.71c
BRAZIL MATTERS !
Ethnic Groups (continued)
Most tribes live in the forests in settlements by hunting animals, such as birds and monkeys; gathering
food, nuts, honey and berries, such as açaí; growing
crops, such as manioc, sweet potatoes, corn and fruit,
and by fishing. Most hunt with bows and arrows but
some tribes still use blowpipes with poisoned darts.
They use wood and plants from the forest to make
houses, everyday items (such as baskets, masks and
pots) and medicines. Indigenous people use body and
face painting and jewellery to show their identity and in
rituals. Most tribes construct molocas, large communal
shelters; they sleep in hammocks. Some tribes are nomadic hunter gatherers who erect light shelters from
plants in the forest. The tribes have lived sustainably
for thousands of years; they help conserve the forests.
Black Brazilians: More than 11 million slaves were
taken from Africa to the Americas between the 17th and
19th centuries. Over 40% of these were transported to
Brazil, six times more than the US. Brazil was the last
large country to abolish slavery. As a result, Brazil has
a large black population of about 14.5 million, about Bahia has the highest percentage of Afro7.6% of the population (2010 census). The culture of Brazilians in its population than any other state
Brazil, including its food, music, Candomblé (an Afro- in Brazil. It has the lowest percentage of white
TP
Brazilian religion) and capoeira (a martial art) owes Brazilians.
much to the African origin of many of its people. Most Black Brazilians live in the North-East region of the country, especially in Bahia.
Mixed race Brazilians: About 82.3 million, representing 43.1% of Brazil’s people (2010 census)
are sometimes referred to as pardos. They are the result of intermixing. Mixed race Brazilians live
in all parts of the country, but the states with the highest percentage of mixed race people are in
the North of Brazil. In Amazonas, 75% are of mixed race. The offspring of mixed parents are
called caboclo, where one parent was indigenous and one was white; mulato where one parent
was black and the other was white; and cafuzo where one was indigenous and one was black.
White Brazilians: About 91 million white Brazilians representing 47.7% of the population (2010
census) have mainly European ancestors. Most settlers came from Portugal, from the C16th onwards. In the C18th, most came from the Azores; from the late C19th, most came from the north
and interior. About 75% of Brazilians have some Portuguese ancestry. The second largest group,
more than a million, emigrated mainly from northern Italy in the late C19th and early C20th. Other
Europeans came from Germany, Spain and Eastern Europe. The regions with the highest white
populations are the S and SE. The states with the highest percentage of white Brazilians are
Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.
Asian Brazilians: The largest group is Japanese, who migrated to work in the coffee plantations
of the south in the early part of the C20th. Brazil has a Japanese population of about 3 million, the
largest outside Japan. Most live in São Paulo. Other settlers migrated from Lebanon (and some
from Syria) from the 1880s to the 1930s. About 1% of Brazilians believe they have MiddleEastern origins.
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Education Matters! 29 High Street, Halberton, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 7AF, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1884 820081 Visit our website at www.education-matters-uk.com
2.71c