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 |
The tribe calles themselves Aparai today. They have been known by Apalai, Appirois, Aparathy, Apareilles, Apalaii, Aparis and Apalaís.[3]
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]
In 1993, they numbered 450, and in 2010, there are 398 Apalai people.[1]