Celebrated in Brazil on April 19, Indigenous Peoples Day is an important date for reflection on the rights, ways of life and means of protection of these peoples, in addition to contributing to the preservation of their culture and history.
According to partial data from the 2022 Census, carried out by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), there are 1,652,876 indigenous people in Brazil, an increase of almost 70% considering the data from the 2010 Census, which recorded around 900,000 indigenous people in the Brazilian population, distributed among 305 ethnic groups speaking 274 languages.
These data are essential for the elaboration and implementation of public policies that guarantee autonomy, respect for their traditions and culture, and for guaranteeing the rights of these peoples.
The Fraternity – Humanitarian Federation (FIHF) promotes respect for indigenous rights and cultures
In its various actions, the Fraternity – International Humanitarian Federation (FIHF), through the Indigenous Cultural and Training Centre (CCFI), located in Boa Vista – Roraima, promotes a safe and peaceful space in which local indigenous people, migrants and refugees have the opportunity to build a more dignified life.
To this end, the CCFI works to encourage artistic and cultural expression, technical and professional training, learning the Portuguese language and preparing for the job market, as well as indigenous entrepreneurship initiatives, enabling cultural expression, protection, strengthening and exchange of indigenous cultures from different Venezuelan, Brazilian and Guyanese ethnic groups.
Lessons learned from indigenous pluralities
The humanitarian worker Imer, who has been working with indigenous peoples since 2010, carried out several actions with Qom and Wichi indigenous people in Argentina, in Guarani indigenous communities in southern Brazil and northern Argentina, assisted by the Chaco Mission and, in the Roraima Mission, with indigenous people from different ethnicities from Venezuela, Guyana and Brazilian ethnicities. He highlights the important lessons learned over all these years of coexistence: “the consciousness that unites all these peoples; even though they speak different languages and come from different regions, they see themselves as a single nation and are proud of that, of being indigenous and of being able to express themselves as they are”.
“It is enriching to be able to understand their different views of the world. These perceptions expand our awareness in the compression of time, relationships, silence, innocence, simplicity and the relationship with nature that is part of all of us”, reports Imer.
Today, marked to celebrate the cultural diversity of indigenous peoples and their countless contributions to the formation of the identity of the Brazilian people, whether in cuisine, language, customs, literature, health, among many other contributions, must also be a moment to reflect on the living conditions of these peoples in the country and the efforts needed to guarantee their rights.
“We have to highlight the importance that indigenous peoples have in the balance of the planet, due to their ancestry and tradition, their knowledge of nature and the beauty they express. We must place great emphasis on respecting these cultures, not only guaranteeing human rights, which are inalienable to all, but also knowing the rights of indigenous peoples set out in the Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization (ILO), in the United Nations Declaration and at the Organization of American States (OAS), emphasizes Imer.
