Indigenous Guarani Research Articles

A retomada dos territórios ancestrais: os Guarani e a Cidade Real do Guairá

No ano de 2009 um grupo de indígenas Guarani reocupou uma área onde se encontram as ruínas da Cidade Real do Guairá, no atual município de Terra Roxa no Oeste paranaense. Este aldeamento faz parte de um conjunto que totaliza treze comunidades indígenas Guarani na região, que no geral sobrevivem em situação de conflito e sem o mínimo de qualidade de vida. Segundo pesquisas arqueológicas já realizadas, as ruínas estão sobre antigo território indígena, e esta reocupação contemporânea é um processo de tentativa de retomada desse território que ao longo de séculos foi retirado dos nativos por grupos detentores do poder. Compreender a relação existente entre os Guarani e este local, assim como contribuir para a melhoria das condições básicas de saneamento e qualidade de vida desse grupo é objetivo deste trabalho.

Indigenous collective land titling and the creation of leftovers: Insights from Paraguay and Cambodia

AbstractCollective land titling often drags on for decades, while private land concessions and holdings do not face the same problem, creating ‘leftovers’ of land available for Indigenous peoples to attempt to collectively title. In two ethnographic case studies in Cambodia and Paraguay, we analyse community‐based Indigenous land titling by focusing on the on‐the‐ground dynamics of property relations, Indigenous livelihood shifts and ecological change. In both countries, large agricultural players implemented a staggering change in local landscapes through deforestation, configuring new realities that in turn feed into local environments and titling processes. Adapting their livelihoods to living in the leftovers, in Cambodia, the Indigenous Bunong shifted from rice to rubber as they navigated the slow titling process. In Paraguay, some Indigenous Guarani shifted from corn to cattle by renting out their collectively titled land. The case studies show that the liberal titling approach to secure Indigenous lands overestimates the ability of title to remove land from capitalist logics such as the push to rent or sell, while some spaces of autonomy are opened. We critique the liberal approaches to formalising title, where Indigenous struggles for their ways of life are funnelled into fighting for collective property.

Intonational and Syntactic Innovations in a Language Contact Situation: An Explorative Study of Yes/No Questions in Paraguayan Guarani-Spanish Bilinguals.

Whereas the intonation of Spanish varieties has received considerable attention in the past few decades, the research has so far not included the variety of Spanish spoken in Paraguay, where intensive language contact between the Indigenous Guarani language and Spanish since the 16th century has led to widespread bilingualism. This study compares the F0 patterns of yes/no questions in Guarani-dominant bilinguals with those of Spanish-dominant bilinguals and Spanish monolinguals, formalized within the Autosegmental-Metrical model of intonation phonology. Results show no particular differences between the three groups, with all groups producing an H+L*LH% pattern in all types of yes/no questions, the exception being counter-expectational and echo yes/no questions, which were also realized with an L+¡H* L% contour. In spite of the fact that Guarani-dominant bilinguals exhibited more tonal variation in biased yes/no questions, the findings appear on the whole to support the convergence of two intonational systems due to the long period of contact. Furthermore, both bilingual groups made use of Guarani question particles and other Guarani expressions in their productions. Interestingly, across all groups, some speakers occasionally used the calque expression ¿Será que . . . ("Will it be that . . .?") at the beginning of questions; this construction can be considered to have become grammaticalized as a question particle. Taken together, the intonational and syntactic innovations apparent in Paraguayan Spanish point toward language change brought about by intensive contact with Guarani and show how two levels of linguistic structure-intonation and syntax-may evolve differently.

The Ancestry of Eastern Paraguay: A Typical South American Profile with a Unique Pattern of Admixture.

Immigrants from diverse origins have arrived in Paraguay and produced important demographic changes in a territory initially inhabited by indigenous Guarani. Few studies have been performed to estimate the proportion of Native ancestry that is still preserved in Paraguay and the role of females and males in admixture processes. Therefore, 548 individuals from eastern Paraguay were genotyped for three marker sets: mtDNA, Y-SNPs and autosomal AIM-InDels. A genetic homogeneity was found between departments for each set of markers, supported by the demographic data collected, which showed that only 43% of the individuals have the same birthplace as their parents. The results show a sex-biased intermarriage, with higher maternal than paternal Native American ancestry. Within the native mtDNA lineages in Paraguay (87.2% of the total), most haplogroups have a broad distribution across the subcontinent, and only few are concentrated around the Paraná River basin. The frequency distribution of the European paternal lineages in Paraguay (92.2% of the total) showed a major contribution from the Iberian region. In addition to the remaining legacy of the colonial period, the joint analysis of the different types of markers included in this study revealed the impact of post-war migrations on the current genetic background of Paraguay.

The new Guarani reductions: aftermaths of collective titling in Northern Paraguay

ABSTRACT This paper documents aftermaths of Indigenous collective land titling in Northern Paraguay, drawing on participant observation, interviews, and archives involving Indigenous Guarani, private landholders, NGO partners, and campesinos. While collective title attempts to safeguard Indigenous land, I argue that land available for Paĩ Tavyterã Guarani livelihoods was reduced, with sometimes violent sociopolitical impacts and challenges to land control. I contend that the unfinished, hegemonic process of land titling is contested through Guarani communities' sociopolitical creativity, where the Paĩ creatively adapt their ways of life on land reduced. This contributes to debates on territorialization, land titling and rights, and political economy.

Mass Treatment does not reduce the prevalency of parasites in Guarani indigenous schoolchildren in Brazil

The high frequency of intestinal parasites is favored by environmental and socio-cultural conditions of indigenous populations, and is still a neglected public health problem. Mass administration of broad-spectrum drugs aims to reduce the prevalence and intensity of the infections. The prevalence of intestinal parasites in school-children in an indigenous Guarani village in southern Brazil, was evaluated before and after the mass treatment of the population with albendazole. In the first phase of collection of stool samples, 81.4% of them were positive for enteroparasites and in the second phase, after two doses of antiparasitic medication, 87.5% were positive. Although the prevalence of infections by some helminths has reduced after treatment, many parasites remained frequent in the studied population, showing a change in the epidemiological profile in the distribution of these diseases in the population. The prevalence of intestinal parasites in indigenous schoolchildren proved to be high even after mass treatment with albendazole.

Re-living a Common Future in the Face of Ecological Disaster: Exploring (Elements of) Guarani and Kaiowá Collective Memories, Political Imagination, and Critiques

How to re-member a fragmented world while climate change escalates, and green growth models reproduce coloniality, particularly in Indigenous territories? What can be the concrete contributions from different scholarly disciplines to a broader decolonial project? These questions are debated by decolonial scholars who call to re-think our practices within academic institutions and in the fields that we study. This article contributes with a decolonial perspective to sociocultural psychology and studies on Indigenous knowledges about climate change. Through ethnographic methods and individual and group interviews, I engage with indigenous Guarani and Kaiowá participants’ knowledges and practices of resilience opposing green growth models in the Brazilian state Mato Grosso do Sul. Their collective memory of a different past, enacted through narratives, rituals, and social practices, was fundamental to imagine different possible futures, which put in motion transformation processes. Their example opens a reflection about the possibilities in connecting sociocultural psychology’s work on collective memory and political imagination to the broader decolonial project, in supporting people’s processes of re-membering in contexts of adverse conditions caused by coloniality and ecological disaster.

Contribuição da etnomatemática para a manutenção e dinamização da cultura Guarani e Kaiowá na formação inicial de professores indígenas

Este artigo é parte da pesquisa que foi realizada no curso de formação de professores indígenas Guarani e Kaiowá da Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados no estado do Mato Grosso do Sul. O estudo teve como objetivo, desenvolver estratégias etnomatemática (geração, organização e difusão do conhecimento) na formação inicial de professores indígenas de matemática, de maneira a contribuir com a manutenção e dinamização da cultura Guarani e kaiowá. Os dados foram analisados qualitativamente pela observação participativa do pesquisador durante as aulas ministradas na área especifica para a formação de professores indígenas de matemática. Verificamos como resultados das atividades desenvolvidas durante o processo investigativo que os futuros professores indígenas de matemática apesar de ter consciência da necessidade de uma educação diferenciada, se encontram em um universo de indecisão em relação a sua formação. Desse modo, apontamos que pode haver uma concepção holística de educação, tendo como via a etnomatemática com sua abordagem multicultural e visão qualitativa da realidade. Concluímos que a etnomatemática, como alternativa pedagógica, contribui para manutenção e dinamização da cultura Guarani e Kaiowá na formação inicial de professores indígenas de matemática, desenvolvendo estratégias de ensino, levando a promoção do respeito, da valorização, do fortalecimento da língua materna e das raízes culturais, pois em seus fundamentos, temos uma educação transdisciplinar e transcultural.

Experiências de extensão rural e fomento produtivo para povos indígenas no Rio Grande do Sul a partir do Plano Brasil Sem Miséria (PBSM)

A extensão rural foi inserida no Plano Brasil Sem Miséria visando contribuir no enfrentamento à miséria no campo, contemplando ações de assistência social. O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar experiências de fomento produtivo e extensão rural para povos indígenas promovidas pelo PBSM no Rio Grande do Sul, discutindo o enfrentamento à miséria no contexto indígena. A coleta de dados foi realizada através de análise documental dos programas acessados e entrevistas com indígenas Kaingang da terra indígena Inhacorá e Guarani Mbyá da reserva indígena Inhacapetum, além de duas entrevistas com extensionistas rurais (não indígenas) que atuam em outras comunidades indígenas do RS. Apesar do formato do fomento ter sido colocado em questão, o PBSM oportunizou acesso a 14 programas sociais no RS e possibilitou a ampliação dos serviços de extensão rural para esse público.Palavras-chave: Extensão Rural. Terras Indígenas. Guarani. Kaingang.

O sistema de contagem Guarani: caminhos para a prática pedagógica

Em Santa Catarina há 21 aldeias indígenas Guarani e, entre elas, incluem-se a Aldeia Itaty do Morro dos Cavalos e a Aldeia M’Biguaçu. Entre os grandes desafios dessas comunidades destacam-se o desejo em revitalizar seus conhecimentos tradicionais e, além disso, associá-los aos conhecimentos acadêmicos para que, dessa forma, possam entender outras culturas e interagir de forma mais efetiva com elas. Neste sentido, temos como objetivo deste artigo analisar os aspectos básicos do sistema de contagem desses indígenas, tais como, linguagem oral, símbolos gráficos e contagem manual, identificando as relações que esses possuem com os conhecimentos matemáticos acadêmicos. Além disso, propomos atividades que possam possibilitar a articulação entre essas duas formas de conhecimento. As discussões apresentadas nesse trabalho representam parte da pesquisa de Autor (2011) que, norteado pela metodologia Estudo de Caso do Tipo Etnográfico, realizou uma pesquisa na perspectiva teórica da Etnomatemática junto a líderes das comunidades Guarani das Aldeias Itaty e M’Biguaçu.

The Brazilian food security scale for indigenous Guarani households: Development and validation

In Brazil there are 817,963 Indigenous people distributed across 305 ethnic groups, and speaking 274 different languages. The objective of this paper was to develop and validate an experience-based household food security measurement scale among the Guarani people. A mixed-methods study was conducted between 2007 and 2012 in four Guarani communities located on the coast of Sao Paulo. The qualitative phase involved developing an 11-item scale in full consultation and partnership with representatives from the Indigenous communities. Psychometric testing was conducted in 3 villages from 2011 to 2012 by applying the scale predominantly to adult women. Selected nutritional and social indicators were collected for testing the scale’s external validity. Psychometric testing was done with the Rasch model (N = 88). Severity scores of items followed the theoretically expected ranking order. Nine out of the 11 scale items had an adequate fit to the whole scale (“infit” values ranging from 0.8 to 1.3). Three of these 9 items had severity scores that were very similar to other scale items indicating redundancy of information and thus two of them were dropped from the scale. The final scale was translated into Guarani confirming the face validity of questions and response options for households with children and adolescents. In conclusion, it was possible to develop a valid experience-based Brazilian Food Security Scale for Indigenous Guarani People (EBIA-G) that can now be tested among diverse Indigenous groups in the country.

Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) Beverage: Nutraceutical Ingredient or Conveyor for the Intake of Medicinal Plants? Evidence from Paraguayan Folk Medicine.

The use of medicinal plants mixed with yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) has been poorly studied in the ethnopharmacological literature so far. The Paraguayan Mestizo people have the longest tradition of using the yerba mate beverage, apart from the indigenous Guarani people. This study analyses the role of yerba mate and medicinal plants in the treatment of illnesses within Paraguayan folk medicine. The research was conducted among 100 Paraguayan migrants living in Misiones, Argentina, in 2014 and 2015. Yerba mate is not considered to be a medicinal plant by its own virtues but is culturally a very important type of medicinal plant intake. Ninety-seven species are employed in hot and cold versions of the yerba mate beverage. The most important species are as follows: Allophylus edulis (highest number of citations), Aristolochia triangularis (highest relative importance value), and Achyrocline flaccida and Achyrocline tomentosa (highest score by Index of Agreement on Species). The plants are used in the treatment of 18 medicinal categories, which include illnesses traditionally treated with plants: digestive system, humoral medicine, and relatively new health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and high levels of cholesterol. Newly incorporated medicinal plants, such as Moringa oleifera, are ingested predominantly or exclusively with the mate beverage.

Medicinal Plant Diversity and Inter-Cultural Interactions between Indigenous Guarani, Criollos and Polish Migrants in the Subtropics of Argentina.

Numerous studies highlight the importance of phytotherapy for indigenous and non-indigenous people in different parts of the world. In this work we analyze the richness (number of species), diversity (plant identity and the number of illnesses for which it is used) and similarity of plant species and illnesses treated with them, in order to contribute new data and insight into the importance of plant medicines to the local medical systems of people living in Misiones province, in the subtropics of Argentina. Three sympatric groups were compared: Guarani Indians, Criollos (mestizos) and Polish migrants. Quantitative scrutiny was focused on both primary and secondary sources. The similarity and diversity of medicinal plants and uses between groups was calculated by applying the Sørensen quantitative coefficient and the Shannon-Wiener index, respectively. In order to identify the characteristic plant species used by each group, the Cultural Importance and Prevalence Value (CIPV) was calculated based on the species Indicator Value (IndVal), which combines a species relative abundance with its relative frequency of occurrence in the various groups, and modified according to the type of the analyzed data. The important finding is a great variation in the number of species used by the study groups. Altogether, 509 botanical species were registered: Guarani (397), Criollos (243) and Polish migrants (137). For all groups, the use of native medicinal plants prevailed. The Guarani appear to be the local experts in use of medicinal plants. There is the significant difference in the number of treated illnesses by each taxon among three groups. Criollos and Polish migrants exhibit the greatest similarity in illnesses treated with medicinal plants. These groups share a corpus of knowledge related to illness nosology, and have a symptomatic approach to illness treatment. The Guarani have an etiological approach to illness diagnosis and healing, which may be viewed as a barrier to the exchange of knowledge about home medicine with other ethnic groups of Misiones.

Olhares, pensamentos e ações de jovens indígenas Guarani Kaiowá da reserva indígena de Dourados, estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil

<p>O presente texto propõe uma reflexão sobre o processo de participação política dos jovens indígenas Guarani Kaiowá da Reserva Indígena de Dourados, Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil. Um dos objetivos é descrever, refletir a partir da análise das iniciativas de ações deste “novo sujeito político” autodenominado de “adolescentes e jovens indígenas”, sobre o processo de articulação e mobilização, diante de uma situação de extrema violência a que foram submetidos. Estes sujeitos estão dialogando, sobretudo, com o espaço virtual, ilustrado pelas redes sociais na rede mundial de computadores. Utilizam, sobretudo, estas novas tecnologias em favor da luta de seu povo na busca pela efetivação de seus direitos fundamentais. Desta forma, as ações destes jovens e adolescentes indígenas, destacam-se em movimentos de resistência e passam a estabelecer seu protagonismo.</p>

Electrocardiographic and echocardiographic abnormalities in Chagas disease: findings in residents of rural Bolivian communities hyperendemic for Chagas disease.

Chagas disease is a neglected and preventable tropical disease that causes significant cardiac morbidity and mortality in Latin America. This study sought to describe cardiac findings among inhabitants of rural communities of the Bolivian Chaco. The cardiac study drew participants from an epidemiologic study in 7 indigenous Guarani communities. All infected participants 10 years or older were asked to undergo a brief physical examination and 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). A subset had echocardiograms. ECG and echocardiograms were read by 1 or more cardiologists. Of 1,137 residents 10 years or older, 753 (66.2%) had Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Cardiac evaluations were performed for 398 infected participants 10 years or older. Fifty-five participants (13.8%) had 1 or more ECG abnormalities suggestive of Chagas cardiomyopathy. The most frequent abnormalities were bundle branch blocks in 42 (11.3%), followed by rhythm disturbances or ventricular ectopy in 13 (3.3%), and atrioventricular blocks (AVB) in 10 participants (2.6%). The prevalence of any abnormality rose from 1.1% among those 10 to 19 years old to 14.2%, 17.3%, and 26.4% among those 20 to 39, 40 to 59, and older than 60 years, respectively. First-degree AVB was seen most frequently in participants 60 years or older, but the 4 patients with third-degree AVB were all under 50 years old. Eighteen and 2 participants had a left ventricular ejection fraction of 40% to 54% and <40%, respectively. An increasing number of ECG abnormalities was associated with progressively larger left ventricular end-diastolic dimensions and lower left ventricular ejection fraction. We found a high prevalence of ECG abnormalities and substantial evidence of Chagas cardiomyopathy. Programs to improve access to basic cardiac care (annual ECG, antiarrhythmics, pacemakers) could have an immediate impact on morbidity and mortality in these highly endemic communities.

O Ataque dos Malditos – Bang-Bang-Tum: Acampamentos Indígenas de Mato Grosso do Sul, Uma Realidade Contada por Crianças e Adolescentes Indígenas de Kurussu Ambá

The present study aims to narrating an experience with children, adolescents and young indigenous Guarani Kaiowa camps of Mato Grosso do Sul, with the reality experienced after episodes of conflict and expulsion of land. These people Amba originate Taquaperi Indigenous Land, located in the border region with Paraguay, the city of Coronel Sapucaia. The expulsion of its area, between attacks and conflicts, has made the people of this territory formed camps. This report is the time frame, historical and geographical and brings therefore historical facts of the community and an understanding of the experiences of the group. Data were collected through interviews, observations, workshops playful in that community during contact with children, adolescents and some leaders. Thus, one could understand the vulnerability of the group compared the situations of conflict and violence that they spend.

Massacre e resistência Kaiowá e Guarani: interrogações às Psicologias nos traçados do intolerável

Neste artigo, problematizamos o acontecimento massacre e a resistência dos povos indígenas Kaiowá e Guarani às práticas racistas de biopoder que são empreendidas, tendo em vista a garantia do território e da sua terra sagrada. Nos estudos de Michel Foucault, encontramos algumas ferramentas históricas e políticas que nos auxiliam a pensar sobre essa situação e a interrogá-la no presente. O racismo parece estar sustentando tal realidade e a cumplicidade com o genocídio que está sendo feita, pois há demora em realizar a demarcação, negligência diante dos apelos desses povos, que já aconteceram de várias maneiras. A resistência desses povos interpela as práticas psicológicas, para que não sejam acionadas como dispositivos de normalização etnocidas pautados pela pacificação, que nega as dissidências, ou pela patologização, que nega a diversidade da vida como biopotência.

Malaria outside the Amazon region: Natural Plasmodium infection in anophelines collected near an indigenous village in the Vale do Rio Branco, Itanhaém, SP, Brazil

A few cases of Plasmodium vivax malaria in which anophelines of subgenus Kerteszia were incriminated as vectors have been reported outside the Amazon region, in the Atlantic Forest. This study was carried out near an indigenous Guarani village in the Curucutu reserve, an environmental protection area in the municipality of Itanhaém in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, on November 30, 2009, February 18, 2010, April 29, 2010 and May 26, 2010. Mosquitoes were collected along the route to the Guarani village where the edge of the Branco river floodplain meets the forests on the mountain slopes. Adult forms were collected with CO2-baited CDC traps and Shannon traps from twilight to 10:00 P.M. Anopheles cruzii predominated in both traps. The other species collected in the CDC traps were An. pseudomaculipes/maculipes, An. fluminensis and An. mediopunctatus/forattinii/costai. In addition to the latter three species, An. apicimacula/intermedius and An. strodei were also found in the Shannon traps. All but An. cruzii and An. strodei belong to subgenus Anopheles. A total of 506 mosquitoes were assayed by PCR to detect natural infection by Plasmodium species. In the CDC traps, An. fluminensis and An. pseudomaculipes/maculipes were positive for Plasmodium malariae, while in the Shannon traps An. pseudomaculipes/maculipes was positive for Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium malariae and An. cruzii was positive for P. malariae, resulting in a minimum infection rate of 0.24%. Our findings suggest that An. cruzii may be incriminated in the transmission of malaria between monkeys and humans, as this species was found to be infected by P. malariae. They also highlight the need for an understanding of the role of anophelines from outside subgenus Kerteszia in the transmission of malaria in the Atlantic Forest, as these were also found to be naturally infected by P. vivax and P. malariae.

Perception of food insecurity among indigenous Guarani communities in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Indigenous people in Brazil are divided among 270 ethnic groups. Many live with severe food insecurity (FI), and in some, the prevalence of child malnutrition has been estimated to be up to 50%. This study was based on the validation of the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (EBIA), adopted from the US HFSSM. Four Guarani communities in São Paulo were visited from 2007 to 2009 with the aim of understanding concepts of FI and hunger experiences to develop a similar FI measurement appropriate for their context. Food habits, health conditions, and food production were assessed via formal and informal interviews and participant observation. A panel of indigenous health experts provided suggestions for the interviews. Perceptions of FI were explored in group interviews with members of one community. FI is characterized by fear of hunger, not having enough food to share with others, dependence on donations, and lack of access to food that reflects their cultural traditions. Universal dimensions of FI, such as worry about having enough food and insufficient quantity and quality of food, were present, and strategies they described using in the face of FI were somehow similar to the rest of the population. However, more studies are needed in other Guarani and indigenous communities to know how transferable these results are to other indigenous groups.Funded by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development – Brazil.

Indigenous traditional medicine: in vitro anti-giardial activity of plants used in the treatment of diarrhea

The ethnopharmacology for treatment of parasitic infections facilitates and directs the search for new chemical entities. In this direction, this study evaluated the cytotoxicity in vitro, against trophozoites of Giardia lamblia, of aqueous extracts of leaves Achyrocline satureioides (Lam.) DC., barks of Eugenia uniflora L., aerial parts of Foeniculum vulgare Miller, and barks of Psidium guajava L. These plants are traditionally used for the treatment of diarrhea by the indigenous population Mbyá-Guarani, located at the Lomba do Pinheiro, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The in vitro susceptibility qualitative analysis of G. lamblia to aqueous extracts was performed in serial dilutions from 2.5 to 0.02 mg/mL. Results revealed the minimal inhibitory concentrations: 0.313 mg/mL for A. satureioides and E. uniflora, 0.02 mg/mL for P. guajava, and F. vulgare did not present any cytotoxic effect. Quantitative assays of viable trophozoites, showed that A. satureioides presented the highest cytotoxic effect (93.5%), followed by P. guajava (82.2%), and E. uniflora (67.3%). Indigenous Guarani use mainly A. satureioides for the treatment of diarrhea, revealing the conformity with results obtained in vitro. Bioguided assays are necessary to identify the compounds responsible for the activity of the aqueous extract of A. satureioides.