Amazônia indígena: conquistas e desafios

Abstract

APPROXIMATELY 180 indigenous peoples inhabit Brazil's Amazon region, totaling a population of approximately 208,000 individuals. These peoples face highly variegated situations in terms of their relationship and contact with non-indigenous societies, notably Western and European, ranging from the so-called resistant peoples (also called resurgent) to free peoples (isolated, with no contact at all with national societies). This text discusses the indigenous presence in the region, the indigenous movement, and the relationship between the indigenous peoples and the Brazilian State, which is responsible for the demarcation of lands that traditionally belonged to native populations. It also comments on their relationship both with groups that have economic interests in the region and with the military, who oppose the demarcation of land near the country's frontiers. As an example of this conflict, the text mentions the non-homologation of the indigenous land Raposa Serra do Sol, in Roraima.