Quilombo

As Quilombo were referred at the time of Portuguese rule, a branch of escaped black slaves in Brazil. The word comes from the Quilombo Bantu languages ​​Kikongo and Kimbundu and means housing development. If it was fortified communities, then the term " Mocambo " was used, which Kikongo on " refuge " or " hiding " means.

History

The largest and most famous Quilombo of Palmares was the Brazilian state of Alagoas in today's times, with between 20,000 and 30,000 residents. The office was from 1630 to 1694 and resisted several attempts conquest of the Portuguese colonialists, until it was completely destroyed by a force under the command of the infamous Bandeirantes Domingos Jorge Velho. The death of the legendary leader of the Quilombo dos Palmares last Zumbi on November 20, 1695 is now (since Dia Consciência Negra ) committed by Afro-Brazilian movements as a day of black consciousness.

Other legends about the struggles between slaves and slaveholders in the Quilombos - as is said of the Quilombos that there the martial art of Capoeira greatly enhanced and that the slaves they had used in the fight against the ( armed with firearms ) slavers.

The resistance of the Quilombos was broken in the 17th century, the settlements, however, insisted on.

Quilombolas

The inhabitants of the Quilombos or their descendants are called " Quilombolas ". The number of its territories is not known exactly and varies according to the author of the count. To make matters worse, that many Quilombolas still in a self-identification process. As a very rough guide a number between 1,000 and 10,000 Quilomboterritorien can be accepted. The concept of Quilomboterritorien corresponds to the concept of indigenous territories. It aims to self-determination in their own territory of the Community. An influence on national policy is not provided.

Since 1988, the land rights of Quilombolas enshrined in the Brazilian constitution. By default, Brazil is among the leading countries for the rights of non- indigenous local communities who live a traditional life.