Guarani tribe

June 1, 2023

Recently, protests by Guarani tribal people have erupted across Brazil as the country’s Chamber of Deputies approved a new land bill that will restrict the new recognition of ancestral land of indigenous people.

Why in the news?

According to the new law, tribal people can get recognition only for the land they have been occupying since before the constitution of the country came into effect in 1988.

Key facts about the Guarani tribe:

The Guarani were one of the first peoples contacted after Europeans arrived in South America around 500 years ago.
In Brazil, there are today around 51,000 Guarani living in seven states, making them the country's most numerous tribes. Many others live in neighbouring Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina.
These people in Brazil are divided into three groups: Kaiowá, Ñandeva and M’byá, of which the largest is the Kaiowá which means ‘forest people’.
They are deeply spiritual people.
Most communities have a prayer house, and a religious leader, whose authority is based on prestige rather than formal power

Source : Legislated genocide’: Brazil’s new bill restricting recognition of tribal land sparks massive protests