En marge ou à la marge ?

Abstract

Brazil’s indigenous population is very minoritary, accounting for less than 0,43% of the overall population. Despite its small number, it is a highly diverse population (305 different ethnic groups) and it holds a unique place in the country’s cultural matrix. The constitution of 1988 was an important step for Brazil’s indigenous peoples since it has granted them extensive land rights. Since then, over 1,3 millions square kilometers, or over 13,5% of the overall country area, have been recognized as “indigenous lands”. However, the concrete Indians’ place in the Brazilian society remains highly controversial.Based upon the 2010 census figures and upon fresh geographical databases about Indian lands, our article tries to offer a synthetic view of the indigenous question in Brazil. We first analyze the figures about indigenous population and its repartition upon the Brazilian territory. In a second part, we present the different mechanisms beneficiating to indigenous peoples, among which the most important is the allotment of “indigenous lands”. But those are not evenly spread: the Amazon region, which holds only 43% of Brazil’s Indians, concentrates 99% of the country’s overall area of indigenous lands. We then show that the indigenous people in Brazil are still stuck in nationwide polemics about their small number as opposed to their supposed huge territories.

Keywords

• Brazil
• indigenous people
• demography
• indigenous land
• sustainable development