News of this people
- Justiça Federal atende pedido do MPF/AM e determina estudo para revisão de limite de terra indígena
16/05/2013 - Fraude em patrimônio indígena na Amazônia
12/05/2013 - MPF/AM quer que Funai revise limites da Terra Indígena Waimiri Atroari
19/04/2013
Inhabited lands
- Waimiri Atroari
Waimiri Atroari
- Other names
Kinja, Kiña, Uaimiry, Crichaná - Where they are
AM - How many
1.515 (PWA, 2011) - Linguistic family
Karib
Introduction
The Waimiri Atroari have long held a special place in the Brazilian imaginary as a warrior people who confronted and killed any outsiders who tried to enter their territory. This image led government authorities to transfer the responsibility for building a highway through their lands to the Brazilian Army, which used repressive military force to control the Indians. This confrontation culminated in the near extinction of the Kinja people (the name used by the Waimiri Atroari for themselves). The invasion of their lands intensified when a mining company began excavations and when a hydroelectric dam was constructed, which flooded part of their territory. But the Waimiri Atroari faced up to these challenges and negotiated with national Brazilians, so that, today, they enjoy secure reservation boundaries, cultural vigor, and population growth.
