- Guarani-Kaiowá
Infobox Ethnic group
group = Guarani-Kaiowá
population =
popplace =Brazil
languages =
religions =
related =Guarani-Kaiowá are an indigenous people of the
Brazil ian state ofMato Grosso do Sul . They inhabitNhande Ru Marangatu , an area of tropicalrainforest . This was declared a reservation in October 2004. Marcos Verón, a leader of this people was beaten to death in 2003.They are one of the three
Guaraní sub-groups (the others areÑandeva andM'bya ).They live in the
Brazil ian state ofMato Grosso do Sul . It is estimated that more than 30,000 Guarani Indians live in Brazil, and inParaguay where they number 40,000 Guarani alongside Spanish is the official language.The Guarani sub-groups have different ways of social organisation, but they share a religion which sees the land as very important. The God
Ñande Ru created the Guarani as the first peoples and the Guaraniu are deeply spiritual, there's a prayer house in every village and the cacique, shaman, is of great importance in the community."Terra sem Mal", which means "Land without Evil" is the land of the
dead people and it is important that every soul can go to Terra sem Mal. When invaders occupy the Guarani land, the Guarani feel as if their religion is offended, and when they lose their land to intruders they have too little land to sustain their traditional life, based on fishing hunting and farming.urvival
The Guarani-Kaiowá had no contact with the European settlers before the late 1800s. Today their land is stolen by loggers and miners, and
FUNAI , which is supposed to help indigenous peoples in Brazil, does little to help the Guarani. The Guarani are forced to leave their land and seek work on plantations, where they work as underpaid labourers. The Guarani of Mato Grosso do Sul are desperately campaigning to protect their land which is crucial for their survival.Over the decades hundreds of Guarani-Kaiowá Indians, adults as well as youths as young as 9 years old, have taken their lives. Land is crucial for survival, and to take their land is a big crime against Guarani society.
References
"Guaraní Indians", by James Schofield Saeger, in Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture, Barbara A. Tenenbaum, ed., vol. 3, pp. 112-113. (The article contains numerous additional references).
External links
* [http://www.amnesty.ca/take_action/actBrazil_300305.php Amnesty international action file on this area]
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