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INTRODUCTION
Much attention has been given to the subject of Brazilian politics in terms of the Amazon Region, especially when President Fernando Henrique Cardoso issued the Decree 1,775 of January 8, 1996 which drastically changed the government’s role in indigenous issues. In this paper I plan to discuss the historical and recent effects that Brazilian politics have had on the indigenous people of the Amazon region and to suggest solutions. In particular, “politics” will often be characterized in this paper by the powerful decrees made by the presidents of Brazil. ... I will then point to the implications that recent political decisions have had, and discuss what problems these people are faced with today. ... This will not be an exhaustive study of the laws, politics and indigenous issues that surround the entire subject, but rather an outline of the major themes and that are relevant to any discussion of the matter. ... These are the socioeconomic change as a result of government initiatives, a change in Brazil’s political economy, the creation and protection of “Indigenous Park Protectorates” and well-planned development policies, using anthropologists who have worked with the people in question, and the people themselves when possible. I will argue that there are no differences in attempts to save either the rainforest or the indigenous people, but that the two are so closely connected that both must be attempted at the same time. ...
THE AMAZON AND ITS PEOPLE
THE AMAZON REGION
The Amazon region is usually characterized by the area that is drained by the Amazon River, also known as the Amazon River Basin, which is about four million square kilometers in Brazil alone. Another definition given by the Brazilian government is that of the “Legal Amazon.” This Legal Amazon includes the Amazon River Basin, but also is made up of an additional one million square kilometers that is actually out of the basin. ... Of all these, Brazil has claim of the vast bulk of the Amazon drainage. The complete Amazon Basin is as large as the continental United States. ...
THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF THE AMAZON REGION
The term indigenous refers to the people who were the first to occupy an area. ... In the Amazon region, these indigenous people are very diverse. ... The major concentrations of Brazilian Indians were and still are found in the Amazon region. ... Many of these groups today still rely on hunting and gathering and maintaining small gardens (Davis 1977:9). Today the 250,000 indigenous people of Brazil live in 526 territories, represent about 215 ethnic groups, and speak 170 different languages (as of 1996). The majority of these people live in the northern part of the country, nearly all of which is contained in the Amazon region. It is also possible that there are as many as 50 indigenous groups or more that have not had contact with the outside world, since they live so far in the jungle (Rainforest Action Network Webpage).
Compared to the rest of Latin America’s native people, the older forms of subsistence of hunting and gathering and horticulture are rare today outside the Amazon area. ... When compared to the world, some of these groups are the last in existence who have this type of ancient culture. ... Many active people who are trying to save the rainforest are becoming aware of the relationship between the forest and the indigenous people, and are trying to combine the two efforts.
Probably the most well-known indigenous group in Brasil are the Yanomami who live on the Brazil - Venezuelan border in the northern part of the country. Other well known groups are the Kayapo, Waiwai, Atorai, Tupinamba, Maue, Nambikuara, Piraha, Surui, Xavante, Xingu, Ge and the Amahuaca, just to name a very few (National Geographic Society 1982 and Moran 1993). ...
The problem is that in the past and in the present, Brazil’s politics have had a tremendous detrimental effect on the Brazilian indigenous people of the Amazon. ... The government has directly added to the problem not only by decrees that do not bode well for the indigenous people, but has poorly implemented development programs.
Because of its Third-World status, and thus Brazil’s economic situation, it is no surprise that the government has development programs aimed at the Amazon. The government has used three different ways to encourage capitalism in the Amazon. ... Thirdly, they give tax credits or initiatives to Brazilian companies to use the Amazonian resources. ...
Anthony Hall begins his book with a more concise explanation of these types of problems after his look at particular Brazilian development programs. ... However, I will argue later, that if development policy is planned properly with the long-term effects of indigenous groups and their environment taken into consideration, planning may become more successful in many ways.
Additionally, problems exist because the Amazon’s ecosystems and native populations are threatened with extinction (Moran 1993:2). Besides this, many of the indigenous people want to live in their traditional life styles. This is also a problem because some of the remote groups in the Amazon Region are some of the last known hunter and gatherers left on earth. ... Neto argues that if there is too much of a rapid increase into the region, that it would throw off the present state of equilibrium that many groups are maintaining in much of the Amazon (1979:138).
Ribeiro (1957) argued that the fate of these tribes would depend on the nature of future Brazilian economic expansion, and the ability of the Indian Protection service to create a buffer between the frontier and the rest of society. These two main ideas hold true today, even though many groups have already been eliminated and much has changed in terms of economy since then.
Approximate Word count = 4783
Approximate Pages = 19.1
(250 words per page double spaced)
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