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There are approximately 200 Indian societies living in Brazil; 200 cultures with distinct languages, religions and social organizations. This represents one of the greatest cultural treasures of the world, attracting hundreds of specialists, mainly linguists and anthropologists. This treasure, however, is under constant threat mainly due to conflicts over land and the advance of non-indians on Indian territories. The Federal Constitution declares the inalienable right of the Indians to possess the land which they occupy, but, due to the vast spread of Brazilian territory and the shortage of resources, the government agency in charge of defending and guaranteeing the interests and the rights of the Indians, FUNAI (Fundacao Nacional do Indio - National Indian Foundation) has a difficult time enforcing the law, guaranteeing adequate health care and education, and implementing the projects for productive activities.
The material culture of the Indian people expresses to the other sectors of society, their vision of the universe and, almost always, carries out a utilitarian function in the daily routine of the tribal community. But this vision has been influenced by a variety of pressures to which the Brazilian indians are submitted, for their land is coveted by the local non-indians due to its rich flora, fauna and undersoil.
The lack of resources, together with the influence of the non-indigenous populations has had repercussions on the cultural production of the Brazilian indians. Excluded from this tendency are those indian tribes who still live in isolation, with no contact with the so-called civilized world, estimated by FUNAI to be about 60 communities in the Amazon.
The influence of the non-indians of the region on the indian people can be perceived in their artifacts. During the last few years, agents from FUNAI have verified a lower quality in the artifacts they produce. This process coincides with the advance of non-indians on their territory, which has provoked environmental changes and deprived the indians of the raw materials necessary for the production of their art. Besides this, the low investment in the areas of education, health and productive activities, has caused the indigenous societies to be susceptible to regional influences and dependent on benefits from the State.
The need to survive in adverse conditions has caused the Pataxo Ha-Ha- Hae, who live in the south of the state of Bahia, to extensively produce their artifacts but without their traditional quality. Surrounded by farmers and still fighting for the right to possess the land immemoriably occupied by them, their physical space has been destroyed and their local flora reduced. The Pataxo artifacts do not, by far, represent their material culture. Today, they produce works with the intent of collecting resources that will permit them to consume products and goods produced by non-indians. Previously, the Pataxo artifacts were rich in feathers typical of the birds of the region which revealed aspects of their mystic culture. The feathers used today are of common birds, dyed with strong colors, which are far from portraying the true Pataxo culture. They also chose to produce combs and other wooden objects, which have good commercial acceptance
The Fulnio indians, from the state of Pernambuco, also face a similar situation. Experts in the art of weaving, the Fulnio have a very hard time finding raw materials for the production of baskets, mats and other pieces. Thus, the Fulnio also work with wood, making bowls, combs and other objects with purely commercial intent. The pressure from "civilization", however, has not changed their religious behavior nor influenced the social organization of the group. The Fulnio are concerned about preserving their language, continuing with their rituals and teaching the youngsters their traditions.
The Guarani-Kaiowa, from Mato Grosso do Sul, are another example of a people strongly influenced by contact with the national society. Each year the suicide rate within this group grows. During the last few years, FUNAI has invested heavily to recover the territory traditionally occupied by the Guarani-Kaiowas and dominated illegally by the producers of soybeans and ranchers, so as to guarantee the physical and cultural survival of this group, which in the past, spread over the midwestern to southern part of the country.
The gradual loss of geographic space of the village (tekoha) has jeopardized the social organization of the Guarani-Kaiowa, strongly linked to the mystic concepts. The space of the village is related to that which is sacred and its privation causes a loss of reference to the activities of the group. It is not only the loss of the Tekoha that has altered the cultural aspects of these indians. The process of destruction of the cultural values of the Guarani-Kaiowas was due, in great part, to the presence of various protestant sects which penetrated the group with the intent of giving them assistance. The influence of these religious missions, which imposed strange concepts such as the concept of sin, created great conflicts.
Without their mystic reference, intrinsic to the land they should occupy, and contaminated by other religious understandings, many indians considered and still consider suicide an alternative to end their internal conflicts. When they do not resort to this drastic solution, they turn to the consumption of alcohol which leads to their degradation in the same manner. Some, however, seek the alternative of finding employment on the farms located on their traditional land. This decision, in itself, represents a total withdrawal from the cultural standards of the Guarani-Kaiowa. The indians are underpaid. However, it is the only way many Guarani-Kaiowa find to stay alive in the hope that some day they may be able to live in the tekoha again.
The indigenous populations in the south, such as the Guarani, Kaingang and Xokleng do not have a relevant production of cultural material expressed through any particular artifacts, be they ceramic, featherwork or other objects. This can be verified by the fact that the Department of Indian Art (ARTINDIA) of FUNAI receives no artifacts produced by these people who live spread out over the states of Sao Paulo, Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. Although they preserve their language and habits, these groups engage in serious conflicts over the possession of land due to the high demographic density registered in that region. This fight over physical space plus the extensive contact with the white population has caused the indians to practically abandon their artistic production. Many of these groups have incorporated predominant elements of behavior from the national society and dedicated themselves to agriculture and stock raising.
Program of Cultural Action
FUNAI believes that the indian culture will only survive, with all its richness, through integrated work involving the areas of health, education, environment and productive activities. Only when educated, will the indians understand the negative effects environmental destruction has over their cultural manifestations, the group's health and social organization. The same understanding goes for the areas of health and productive activities. A sick indian will be incapable of producing and if he lacks material goods to supply his basic needs, he will also be incapable of preserving his traditions.
Experts from FUNAI are elaborating a program, to be implemented as of 1995, which is divided into two large projects: 1) INDIAN MEMORY and 2) PRESENTATION OF INDIAN CULTURE TO SOCIETY.
The project INDIAN MEMORY has various objectives, but mainly that of registering cultural values, with special consideration to its protection and presentation to the various sectors of society. For this, FUNAI intends to develop activities, together with the indigenous societies, to guarantee technical and scientific support so that they may once again produce objects and artifacts that represent each group's specialty, obeying traditional techniques and criteria. The project INDIAN MEMORY also intends to form collections of various material cultures of the Brazilian tribal groups. This undertaking for the preservation and restoration of indigenous cultural values that FUNAI intends to intensify in 1995, has been tried in various tribes that live in the mid-west.
The bi-lingual education in the indian communities has influenced the social organization of the tribes. Many of the young people left their villages and distanced themselves from the cultural traditions to seek formal educations in the urban centers. This migration was forced, in part, by the fact that the indians felt the need to have their own people capable of understanding the language and behavioral codes of the white people and thus be able to fight for their own interests. Today, the elders, previously sacred figures within the social organization of these groups, complain about the young people who rebel and often refuse to follow their guidance.
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