Awá-Guajá people

The Awá are an ethnic group in Brazil. Their home is in the devastated forests of the eastern Amazon. They are often referred to as Brazil's last truly nomadic people. Today, survival is approximately 355 Awá, some of them are uncontacted. Some of them live in small family groups, hiding in the few remaining parts of Maranhão woods outside of legally protected areas. About 60 Awá live in the reserve Araribóia, which has been threatened by loggers who are illegally staying in the territory.

At about 1800 they abandoned their sedentary for a nomadic life in order to escape the violent attacks of European invaders. The Awá supply by hunting and gathering itself Those who still live nomadic, are highly mobile, as they are organized in groups of no more than 20-30 people. When they travel, they carefully preserve the embers of their fire to get it to re-ignite at their new place. For the past 15 years, they live mostly in place by the government reserves.

Problem

Since now 100 years are the victims of brutal and systematic extermination Awá attempts by ranchers and settlers. Aside from the physical effects, many Awá suffer from the mental pain inflicted upon them and are deeply traumatized. To date, the field of Awá is at risk, there is a danger of complete extinction of the Awá.

In the 1970s, the EC and the World Bank financed the construction of a huge iron mine and a railway line in the area of ​​Awá. This caused a large influx of settlers, who came in contact with this indigenous community members. According to the human rights organization Survival International, more than two -thirds of the Awá who came into contact with workers of the government died during this period.

In 2009, the NGO Survival International said that the Brazilian government on its territory in the State of Maranhão While acknowledging the right of Awá, but so far not met the necessary measures to grant them protection. A FUNAI employees told the Brazilian TV station Globo that the Awá would be wiped out, the authorities should not intervene immediately. Approximately 60 to 100 Awá still live uncontacted in the rainforest. The rain forest has been cut down in the field of Awá already 31 percent since 1985. The very strong increase in the in the last two decades, deforestation is now taking place in the vicinity of those places where the uncontacted Awá live.