Fundação Nacional do Índio
Encyclopedia
Fundação Nacional do Índio (fũdaˈsɐ̃w nasjoˈnaw du ˈĩdʒju, National Indian Foundation) or FUNAI is a Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian governmental protection agency for Indian
Indigenous peoples in Brazil
The Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...

 interests and their culture.

It was originally called the SPI ("Serviço de Proteção ao Índio"; "Indian Protection Service") and was founded by the Brazilian Marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...

 Cândido Rondon
Cândido Rondon
Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon, or Marechal Rondon was a Brazilian military officer who is most famous for his exploration of Mato Grosso and the Western Amazon Basin, and his lifelong support of Brazilian indigenous populations...

 in 1910, who also created the agency's motto, "Die if necessary, but never kill." The agency fell into decline after 1957, and was re-established by the military regime
History of Brazil (1964-1985)
The Brazilian military government was the authoritarian regime which ruled Brazil from March 31, 1964 to March 15, 1985. It began with the 1964 coup d'état led by the Armed Forces against the democratically elected government of left-wing President João Goulart and ended when José Sarney took...

 in 1967 under the name FUNAI.

FUNAI is headquartered in Brasília
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...

 and is organized under the Ministry of Justice. It is responsible for taking care of the Native Brazilian
Indigenous peoples in Brazil
The Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...

 issues such as land demarcation, defense of Native Brazilian rights and everything that concerns the Brazilian indigenous populations.

Not all efforts of the FUNAI have been helpful to the indigenous populations of South America. It was FUNAI's idea to introduce machinery, pesticides (for farming) and the use of industrial fertilizer, to the native people. While FUNAI initially funded the program, their short-sighted planning mismanaged delivery of equipment, as well as the timing of supportive services, and the project failed. The little cash earned by the native populations were spent on hiring specialists to operate the new machinery, and to purchase fuel (oil) for the machines and toxic pesticides.

See also

  • Cândido Rondon
    Cândido Rondon
    Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon, or Marechal Rondon was a Brazilian military officer who is most famous for his exploration of Mato Grosso and the Western Amazon Basin, and his lifelong support of Brazilian indigenous populations...

  • Indigenous peoples in Brazil
    Indigenous peoples in Brazil
    The Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...

  • Mercio Pereira Gomes
    Mércio Pereira Gomes
    Mércio Pereira Gomes is a Brazilian anthropologist who presently teaches at the Universidade Federal Fluminense , in Niterói, near Rio de Janeiro. He received his Ph.D...

  • Sydney Possuelo
    Sydney Possuelo
    Sydney Ferreira Possuelo is a Brazilian explorer, social activist and ethnographer who is considered the leading authority on Brazil's remaining isolated Indigenous Peoples....

  • Celso Brandão
    Celso Brandão
    Celso Brandão is a photographer who also directed a few documentaries. He can always be found at his headquarters in Carababa Beach , just a few minutes from the city center...


External links

Ministério da Justiça Text of the 1967 law authorizing the creation of FUNAI
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