The Dourados reservation in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, is the place that registered the greatest numbers of Kaiowá suicides. Demarcated in 1917-18 by the Indian Protection Service ( SPI), the reservation of 3.539 hectares ( 8.750) initially sheltered the kaiowá and Ñandeva subgroups. During the 30s, however, the SPI transferred hundreds of Terena to the reservation that historically did not maintain friendly relations with the other two groups already established there. Considered more "civilized", the Terena were introduced to the reservation with the aim of accelerating the acculturation process of the kaiowá and Ñandeva. The reservation ended up being divided into two parts and there are criticisms that the Terena, na Aruak tribe, have taken over Kaiowá lands in addition to always being the beneficiaries of FUNAI projects, to the detriment of other groups. According to Schaden, they attained a realively satisfactory participation in the whole of regional economic activities, becoming laborers in farms, extractive industries, and especially in cattle raising. As for culture, they sacrificed most of their instituitions and were converted in part to Catholicism, in part to Protestant sects and distinguished themselves very litle from the regional population in terms of technology and economic life(Schaden 1967:12).

Currently the reservation is only 10 km (4 miles) from the city of Dourados, with about 2.000 inhabitants and considered one of the Brazilian capitals of soy production.Surrounded by farms na hemmed by a congested asphalt highway, the reservation comprisied in 1991 of 8.000 kaiowá and 2.000 Ñandeva and Terena.

"Every Indian has, a average, a third of a hectare (0.75) at his disposal, when even FUNAI admits that the Kaiowá need a ‘vital space’ of no less than four hectares and half (11.25 acres) per capita".

Página Anterior • Próxima Página • Primeira Página • Última Página