Aparai people

Apalai
Total population
398 (2010)[1]
Regions with significant populations
 Brazil (Amapá, Pará)
Languages

Aparai, Wayana, Portuguese
Religion

traditional tribal religion

The Aparai or Apalai are an indigenous people of Brazil, who live in Amapá and Pará states.[2] They were sedentary slash and burn farmers, necessitating periodic relocation as soil became exhausted, but also hunters and gatherers. They spoke a Carib language and in the 20th century their subsistence shifted towards craftwork as they to adapted to modern Brazil and the cash economy.

Contents

Name

The tribe calles themselves Aparai today. They have been known by Apalai, Appirois, Aparathy, Apareilles, Apalaii, Aparis and Apalaís.[3]

Language

Most Aparai people are multi-lingual, and many speak Aparai, Wayana, Portuguese, and Tiriyó, as well as Wajãpi, Aluku, and Criollo. The Aparai language is one of the Karib languages.[3]

Population

In 1993, they numbered 450, and in 2010, there are 398 Apalai people.[1]

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Aparai". Povos Indígenas no Brasil. (retrieved 17 March 2011)
  2. ^ "Aparai". Povos Indígenas no Brasil. (retrieved 17 March 2010)
  3. ^ a b "Aparai: Name and Language". Povos Indígenas no Brasil. (retrieved 17 March 2010)

External links