Tupiniquim
Encyclopedia
Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity...
state, southeastern 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...
. As of 1997 their population was 1,386. They are speakers of Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
and no longer speak their native language which was a member of the Tupi–Guarani family.
Historically the Tupiniquim inhabited a large tract of coast from about 200 km south of Salvador
Salvador, Bahia
Salvador is the largest city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Salvador is also known as Brazil's capital of happiness due to its easygoing population and countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival. The first...
down to São Mateus river. This is north of the present day Aracruz reservations and extended for about 600 km. Present day Reservations have been inhabited by the Tupiniquim since the founding of Santa Cruz and Nova Almeida (then Reis Magos), both of which had a large Amerindian majority in their populations during their first 200 years or so. The name of the three reservations they now inhabit are Caieiras Velhas, Pau-Brasil, and Comboios
Comboios
Comboios is a village of the tupiniquim people in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo. In 1997 the first assembly of the tupinikim and guarani peoples was held here. Comboios was the only village in the area not participating in the protests against the Aracruz corporation, which is active in...
. This community lives in an area covered with rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s.
Aracruz Cellulose
Aracruz
Aracruz Celulose S.A. was the major Brazilian manufacturer of pulp and paper. In 2009 the company merged with VCP and renamed Fibria...
has a land dispute with them. In the 1990s, due to the devastation caused by this corporation, few of the previously about 40 villages remained.
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Tupiniquim is also an informal word for Brazilian in modern Brazilian Portuguese, used as both a noun and an adjective: cinema tupiniquim (Brazilian cinema).