Indigenous Peoples of Brazil
The Guarani: extreme poverty, life expectancy of just 40 years. The current Brazilian government of Jair Bolsonaro is aggravating these conditions.
It appears that the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, does not care about native peoples.
Among +100 indigenous nations in Brazil, the Guarani, closely related to the Tupi, represent one of the most important Brazilian First Nations both historically and demographically.
Before the European colonization, the total population of Guaraní communities amounted to several million (perhaps of the order of 10 M), extending from the jungles of northern Mato Grosso to the Paraná River delta.
Its existence was based on fishing and the application of agricultural logging and burning practices in the jungle environments where they lived. The main crops were corn, cassava, boñato, peanuts, beans and squash. They never constituted urban societies or centralized states. The communities generally maintained their autonomy, although alliances thet could be established or broken during intercine wars.
The situation has changed considerably 500 years after the arrival of the Brazilian territory by Portuguese invaders. The demographic weight of the Guarani ethnic groups has decreased exponentially. Although it is still one of the most numerous native nations of the Brazilian subcontinent, their numbers and land control are at the most 1/100th of what they were in ancient times.
There are currently several Guarani sub-groups that inhabit the territory of Brazil, extending some of them into some neighboring countries.
The main ones are the Kaiowá or Pai Tavytera with 30,000 members, the M’bya Guaraní with 20.000 and the Ava Chiripa with 10,000. +
The Kaiowá inhabit southern Mato Grosso and northeastern Paraguay, the M’bya Guaraní, who have adopted migratory behavior, extend through southern Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and occasionally Uruguay.
The Ava chiripá are found mostly in eastern Paraguay and much less in southwestern Brazilian territory.
In Brazil, both the Kaiowá and the M'bya have lost virtually all of their traditional lands, maintaining the Kaiowá some small reserves in Mato Grosso do Sur and largely inhabiting the slums of some cities in this state, such as Dourados or Campo Grande.
Kaiowá living in cities are extremely poor and teenagers have one of the highest suicide rates in Brazil and America.
The M’bya on the other hand survive on the banks of water courses and on the side of the roads selling handicrafts living in great poverty with a life expectancy that barely exceeds 40 years.
With the anti-indigenous policies of Bolsonaro's government, the Guaraní peoples have seen their scarce margins of life and subsistence options decrease, the Kaiowá will not be able to recover the traditional lands they claim and may even lose some of their current reserves in the face of the advancement of large corporations and large landowners.
With an intolerant government, the M’bya guaraní will find more difficulties in their migrations or to settle on public or private lands.
These native peoples require the greatest solidarity, with their vulnerable position in the new political environment of the country. .

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