Guarani-Kaiowa
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The 'Guarani-Kaiowá are an Latin-American Indian group, which is one of the three Guaraní sub-groups, the others are Ñandeva and M'bya.
They live in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. It is estimated that more than 30,000 Guarani Indians live in Brazil, and in Paraguay where they number 40,000 Guarani alongside Spanish is the official language.
"Mayma yvypóra ou ko yvy ári iñapytl'yre ha eteîcha dignidad ha derecho jeguerekópe; ha ikatu rupi oikuaa añetéva ha añete'yva, iporâva ha ivaíva, tekotevê pehenguéicha oiko oñondivekuéra" is the first article of the universal declaration of human rights in Guarani.
The Guarani sub-groups have different ways of social organisation, but they share a religion which sees the land as very important. The God Ñande Ru created the Guarani as the first peoples and the Guaraniu are deeply spiritual, there's a prayer house in every village and the cacique, shaman, is of great importance in the community.
"Terra sem Mal", which means Land without Evil is the land of the dead people and it is important that every soul can go to Terra sem Mal. When invaders occupy the Guarani land, the Guarani feel as if their religion is offended, and when they loose their land to intruders they have too little land to sustain their traditional life, based on fishing hunting and farming.
[edit] References
"Guaraní Indians", by James Schofield Saeger, in Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture, Barbara A. Tenenbaum, ed., vol. 3, pp. 112-113. (The article contains numerous additional references).
[edit] Survival
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The Guarani-Kaiowá had no contact with the European settlers before the late 1800s. Today their land is stolen by loggers and miners, and FUNAI, which is supposed to help indigenous peoples in Brazil, does little to help the Guarani. The Guarani are forced to leave their land and seek work on plantations, where they work as underpaid labourers. The Guarani of Mato Grosso do Sul are desperately campaigning to protect their land which is crucial for their survival.
Over the decades hundreds of Guarani-Kaiowá Indians, adults as well as youths as young as 9 years old, have taken their lives. Land is crucial for survival, and to take their land is a big crime against Guarani society.
