every year on the day April 19th, your school organizes an event in honor of the Indian's day or at least your history teacher asks you to do some work on that topic. Well then, but do you remember the reason why the Indian Day is celebrated in April 19th?
Read too: Indigenous Population of Brazil
Which countries celebrate Indian Day on April 19th?
Well, for a start, only in the countries of the American continent the Indian's day is celebrated on that date. In the rest of the world, indigenous peoples are honored on August 9th since 1995, a determination of the United Nations Organizations (UN).
In countries such as Mexico, Chile and Brazil, it was agreed to determine the celebration of the Indian Day on April 19 in respect of the realization of the First Inter-American Indigenous Congress. This congress was held in Mexico, in 1940, and, as the name “indigenista” indicates, it dealt with problems related to the situation of indigenous peoples in the Americas (North, Central and South); that's why it received the name “Inter-American”.
Between the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, there was a growing interest by scholars in indigenous cultures. These scholars were named ethnologists, a term that comes from “etnos”, which means “people”. Ethnology contributed so that many aspects of the Indians' form of social organization came to be respected and received state incentives for their preservation.
The symbolic date of April 19, suggested at the congress mentioned above, served as a kickoff for indigenous culture to be also valued by the non-specialized public, that is, people who do not scientifically study the history and life of the tribes etc.
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When was the Indian Day instituted in Brazil?
In the specific case of Brazil, the acceptance of the suggestion of April 19 came in 1943, under the government of GetulioVargas, in the form of a decree-law. At that time, Vargas ruled in an authoritarian way (in the so-called New State dictatorship), so that the laws were not appreciated by the National Congress, but came into force in the form of a decree.
The text of the decree-law can be read below:
“THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, using the powers conferred on him by Article 180 of the Constitution, and bearing in mind that the First Congress Inter-American Indigenist, meeting in Mexico in 1940, proposed to the countries of the Americas the adoption of the date of April 19 for the "Day of the Indian",
RULES:
Art. 1st It is considered - "Indian Day" - the date of April 19th.
Art. 2º The contrary dispositions are revoked.
Rio de Janeiro, June 2, 1943, 122nd of Independence and 55th of Republic.”
GETULIO VARGAS
It can be seen that, in the paragraph for the presentation of the text, there is a reference to the First Inter-American Indigenous Congress, which had suggested, as we said, the date for the commemoration. Thus, to this day, indigenous peoples are honored in Brazil on that date.
By Me. Cláudio Fernandes
