News-Letter Nr. 479

Guarani Territories are the Topic of a Seminar

A study group is being set up in Brazil to discuss how to ensure the rights of the Guarani people to their traditional lands. With the largest indigenous population in Brazil, made up of about 40,000 people subdivided in three groups (M'bya, Ñandeva, and Kaiová), the Guarani live in seven Brazilian states (Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo and Mato Grosso do Sul) and move around in at least four countries bordering Brazil: Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay. Demarcating a traditional territory while respecting how the Guarani conceive and occupy their territory is a very complex task. Political and economic interests have caused serious problems of space to this people, who now live in extreme poverty in camps near highways in some states for lack of a demarcated land. In some cases they are persuaded to buy lands, instead of waiting until their own lands are demarcated.

A seminar organized by Cimi and the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) was held on September 11 and 12 in Florianópolis, capital of the state of Santa Catarina, to discuss the issue. At the meeting, more detailed discussions were held about the size of the traditional territory of the Guarani (extending from the state of Rio Grande do Sul to Espírito Santo), which has been encroached upon by units of the Federation, cities, and public and private undertakings, including areas in which they circulate. The challenge of this group is to define, together with the Guarani, locations with cultural and environmental features consistent with their lifestyle and in strict compliance with their constitutional rights.

The anthropologist Bartomeu Meliá, who studies the Guarani culture and is working with this people in Paraguay, explained that they consider their territory from a broader perspective. When this people migrate to a location, they recognize the land of their dreams. The land without evil is not just any place or any ground. "For the Guarani, the land is a "Tekohá", the place we step on, the place where we are what we are. "Tekohá" is a word formed by the root words "teko", which means lifestyle, a system of one's own, and "Há" which means the place we step on. When a Guarani speaks about the land he has a very unique lifestyle in mind. For them, speaking about the land is speaking about the body of their mother, a both mythical and practical relationship. Land is not to be sold or divided," says Meliá. The demarcation controversy was felt by the Guarani Leonardo Werá, who categorically stated that "today we are faced with the controversy of whether or not the Guarani have a right to their land. We know that we have this right, we know that this is our place, but white men confound us saying one has to have a title deed, one has to provide evidence that he owns a land. What about us here alive, don't we constitute sufficient evidence?".

Purchasing lands

The policy adopted by the state of Rio Grande do Sul, replacing the practice of demarcating land with the practice of buying land, was criticized by Meliá, who mentioned the experience of Paraguay, where since the government bought the first land area no traditional land was demarcated for the Guarani. "Once established, this policy cannot be changed any longer. For a community that is starving, it can set a precedent to transfer a federal responsibility to the States," the anthropologist said. Ultimately, purchasing lands is the newest means adopted by the State to integrate indigenous peoples into the non-indigenous society.

The seminar in Santa Catarina promoted continued reflections on the Guarani land from the legal standpoint and proposed the establishment of a study group made up of anthropologists of the Brazilian Anthropological Association (ABA) in charge of specifically studying the issue of the Guarani people. The results of these studies will be conveyed to state governments and to the federal administration.

Brasília, 20 September 2001.
Indianist Missionary Council - Cimi




.. back to main page


For more details on the text you may want to contact Cimi directly under e-mail:



Webmaster Pro REGENWALD

We're happy to receive your comments or answer your questions. Please , if you want to contribute to this work