The indigenous population of Brazil: analyzing the 2010 Census

Abstract

The indigenous population of Brazil has an importance far greater than its absolute size. It represents a remarkable treasure and resource, with over 350 languages. Indigenous peoples occupy and preserve a critical, threatened natural and scape, yet also dwell in large cities, smaller towns, and rural areas throughout Brazil. However, this population is vulnerable, with living standards, health and education well below those of the rest of the rest of the Brazilian population. The dynamics of the indigenous population, with high rates of fertility and mortality, are very different as well, with a very rapid growth rate, and an age distribution now much younger than Brazil as a whole. The 2010 Census of Brazil offers a remarkable opportunity to reduce the statistical invisibility of this population, and to greatly increase what is known about it. In the project proposed here, we will focus on three key related aspects: languages spoken, demographic dynamics, and education. The goals are to: 1) elaborate a complete list of the languages spoken in Brazil together with a geographic presentation of where they are spoken; 2) estimate the levels of fertility and child mortality in the different segments of the indigenous population; and 3) describe the educational attainment and schooling enrollment of the indigenous population, as well as several of the key determinants of those outcomes. The project will address the entire indigenous of Brazil but give special attention to three groups in particular. The project will address the entire indigenous of Brazil but give special attention to three groups in particular: the indigenous people of the Northeast Amazon in the state of Amazonas; the Guarani in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and other states of the South and Southeast; and to the Pankararu resident in the states of Pernambuco, Alagoas and Bahia, and the city of Sao Paulo. (AU)