THE National Indian Foundation (Funai)is responsible for promote and guarantee indigenous rights in Brazil. It is officially the indigenous body in the country that is guided by principles that aim to guarantee the plurality in ethnicitiesand cultures at the National territory, complying with what is determined by law. Funai is committed to indigenous communities defending their traditions, seeking, with their permission, their insertion in society and managing and inspecting the lands belonging to these peoples.
Read too: Indigenous population in Brazil
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Funai, in addition to promoting the rights of native peoples and managing their lands, has the mission of defending them from predatory action and of possible invasions by non-indigenous peoples that represent a danger to the maintenance of the life and culture of the indigenous people.
The agency's action is carried out through the coordination and execution of the indigenous policy in Brazil. Your role is also intended to:
identify, delimit, demarcate and regularize indigenous lands;
coordinate and implement policies aimed at protecting isolated peoples and newly contacted ones;
elaborate actions aimed at ensuring cultural diversity among different ethnic groups;
conserve and recover indigenous lands, with regard to the landscape, the ecosystems and to natural resources;
monitor policies aimed at social security and indigenous school education.
Creation
Funai was created in year 1967, in replacement to extinct Indian Protection Service (SPI), through responsible law No. 5,371. The SPI was an agency created in 1910 whose mission was to assist indigenous tribes. However, by getting involved in several controversies related to corruption, mismanagement and accusations of genocide (the extermination of a large number of people), this body was dissolved, giving way to the National Indian Foundation.
Funai was created in the context of military dictatorship, period in which the indigenous people suffered with extreme violation of your rights, due to the various conflicts among indigenous people, government and landowners. During this period, the government intended to expand the country economically and politically, through the expansion of the territory through administrative reform. The expansion did not encompass indigenous interests, as the priority at that time was the infrastructure works and the expansion of rural lands.
The issue of indigenous rights only regained space with the establishment of democratic regime at 1980s and the proper regularization of the legal status of these peoples. Democratization, then, made it possible to discuss the situation of the natives before civil society.
The creation of the Indian Statute in 1973 (law nº 6.001) endorsed with precision the situation of indigenous peoples in the country, since, from that moment on, it would be up to the State to protect the rights of these native peoples. Another great achievement came with the1988 Constitution, which, through the article 231, guaranteed the preservation of indigenous rights delegating to the State the duty to ensure the ethnic plurality and autonomy of these peoples.
In 2009, through Decree No. 7,056/09, Funai reformed itself in an attempt to update its structure in order to improve service it's the operation of the body before the services provided to indigenous communities.
Know more:Do you know when Indian Day is celebrated?
Demarcation of indigenous lands
The demarcation of lands, which assures indigenous rights over them, is the responsibility of Funai.
The question of demarcation of indigenous lands it's from Funai's responsibility and is regulated by Decree No. 1,775/96. However, what does this demarcation mean? Basically, it corresponds to the establishment of physical limits of lands that are destined for the usufruct of indigenous peoples. This guarantees them the right to property, in order to ensure the identity, at traditions and the culture of these peoples. The demarcation is provided for by law, specifically in the Federal Constitution of 1988.
However, why is it necessary to demarcate indigenous lands? Demarcating means keeping the livelihoods of indigenous communities intact. It is also extremely important to avoid possible conflicts for the land ownership and by invasions (which are common), and these are often mortals.
indigenous education
Funai is also responsible for issue of indigenous education. This mission is carried out through the General Education Coordination (CGE-Funai), one of its internal bodies. At two main actions of the CGE-Funai, in relation to the support given to the permanence of indigenous students in schools, they are:
Action to assist indigenous students outside their villages;
Cooperation agreements with higher education institutions in Brazil.
Another action taken by the agency was taken with the Ministry of Education (MEC), in order to formulate politics aimed at indigenous Higher Education. The Special Commission for Indigenous Higher Education sought inspect and exercise political pressure to ensure the participation of native peoples in universities in programs such as the Prouni (University for All Program) and the Prolind (Support Program for Higher Education and Indigenous Intercultural Licentiate).
CGE-Funai has been carrying out an action that seeks Collect data about of indigenous university students, considering that the MEC does not have this information, in order to create public policy that contribute to the participation of these peoples in Higher Education.
Read more:Daily life of indigenous children
Indigenous people in Brazil
Indigenous peoples occupied Brazilian territory long before the arrival of the Portuguese.
In 1500 the Brazilian territory was occupied by millions of indigenous distributed in All country. However, there was several casualties due to intense and countless conflicts throughout the history of Brazil and its occupation.
See too:Indians, the first inhabitants of Brazil
According to the census carried out by the (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE),there are currently, in Brazil, about 896.9 thousand indigenous people, that are distributed in 805 ethnicities. A considerable reduction since the arrival of Europeans.
Indigenous people are found especially in the rural areas, focused on North regionof Brazil, specifically in the area of Amazon Nice. Another region in which there is also a large concentration of these peoples is the Midwest, in the state of Mato Grosso principally.
Brazil registers 274 indigenous languages, 462 indigenous lands (land of the original right of this people) and 35 regularized indigenous reserves.
Know more:indigenous words