People of the Amazon Rainforest – Who lives in the Forest?

Understanding who are traditional people of the Amazon rainforest is a way to understand the history of the region. They are closely related to the forest, but each one with different characteristics and ways of relating. It is a myriad of rich cultures and traditions that must be appreciated and understood respecting the peculiarities.

In addition to the history that each people and community carry with them, there are also teachings. Because they are close to the forest, using it as a resource for living, they know how to be nature. It is the wisdom that surpasses generations and grows with each shared story. The livelihoods of forest peoples collaborate in the preservation and conservation of nature. And they help researchers and scientists in the study of the environment.

In this post, we invite you to learn about the characteristics of riverside people, quilombolas and extractive communities, people of the Amazon rainforest that need to be preserved, in their entirety, and supported in order to survive sustainably. 

It is with this thought in mind that Redda+ creates and develops its projects. After all, it is not enough to encourage growth, it is necessary to go further, respecting those who are already on the land. It is necessary to combine tradition, present, and environmental awareness.

In this post has:

• Who are the people of the Amazon rainforest?
• Difference between riverside, quilombola and extractive communities
• People of the Amazon Rainforest by region
• Get to know Redda+

Who are the people of the Amazon rainforest?

Traditional peoples and communities were defined by the Ministry of Social Development as:

culturally differentiated groups that recognize themselves as such, that have their own forms of social organization, that occupy and use territories and natural resources as a condition for their cultural, social, religious, ancestral, and economic reproduction, using knowledge, innovations, and practices generated and transmitted by tradition.

This definition includes indigenous peoples, quilombolas, traditional communities, extractivists, and riverside dwellers. But, they also include artisanal fishermen, and other peoples still without defined nomenclatures. Despite being present throughout the Legal Amazon, there is a concentration in the north of Pará.

Finally, it is good to remember that traditional peoples and communities are spread throughout Brazil. Therefore, it is possible to find them in other states, some communities are less isolated. There are even communities that earn income by sharing their culture and stories with tourists. In this same organization, there are the indigenous tribes, the most traditional, those who have adapted to modernity.

Difference between riverside, quilombola and extractive communities

There are different people of the Amazon rainforest throughout the region. Now, we invite you to understand a little bit more about some of them.

Riverside people

The riverside people are the ones who maintain a traditional lifestyle, and whose main survival activity is fishing. They usually live on the banks of rivers in wooden stilt houses, adapting to the rainy seasons. They were formally recognized by the government in 2007. This population also includes descendants of migrants from the Brazilian Northeast.

In fact, the history of the emergence of the riverside people is linked to the migration of many northeasterners who went to work in the Amazon. This happened in the second half of the 19th century, when the rubber companies were at their peak. However, with the fall of the market and the absence of public policies, these workers found themselves without work. The solution was to live along the river, figure out how to survive so close to the forest, finding a livelihood.

Quilombola

Quilombos, communities made up of enslaved men and women who fled during the time of slavery, are also in the Amazon. The New Brazilian Social Cartography project mapped more than 1,000 quilombola communities in the Legal Amazon. The curious thing is that many think that quilombolas are in the past of our history, but they are present in almost all Brazilian states.

They live in reserved and isolated areas, deep in the woods, and the villages maintain a subsistence economy. Isolation was essential for the survival of these people, keeping traditions and cultural identity preserved. In the colonial period, Quilombo dos Palmares was the most emblematic, Palmares is an important reference to African resistance to slavery.

Extractive communities

Extractive activity is part of the history of Brazilian forests, in each economic cycle, there is a type of extraction. The natural resources exploited by this activity are diverse and, currently, it is still the economic base of many families. 

Each region of Brazil offers a characteristic of extractivism. In the North, Buriti, Murici, Cupuaçu, and Babassu are extracted, being the main source of income for families. The challenge lies in connecting with these families to encourage activity with sustainable awareness. It is a way of minimizing negative environmental impacts and guaranteeing family income. Extractive reserves were created for this purpose.

People of the Amazon Rainforest by region

The exact number of peoples and traditional communities in Brazil is difficult to calculate because they are spread out in different territories. In addition, some still live in very isolated areas, making access difficult. 

However, there are those that are found and receive support from non-governmental organizations, religious institutions, and government projects. Due to the nomadic nature of people, communities tend to undergo transformations. Therefore, studies usually talk about these peoples naming them based on the regions they are based on.

01) Riverside people in Portel, Pará.

The riverside population in Portel lives off the extraction of natural resources, in isolated communities. Projects with this community aim to find a balance between extractive activity and sustainability in the use of natural resources. 

In addition, the base project of Redda+ is supported by the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. For each objective, the real needs of the communities were observed, in order to meet them with precision. The studies and diagnoses were important precisely to understand what the emergencies and conditions of the communities were.

02) Quilombolas in Oriximiná, Pará

The region is an extensive isolated territory in the municipality of Oriximiná, in the Amazon. In this region, there are about 10,000 quilombolas and 3,500 Indigenous people from different tribes, spread over 12 territories. Since 1989, the São Paulo Pro-Indigenous Commission has helped with projects in this region.

The quilombolas in Oriximiná live in simple, remote homes without a water supply and sewage network. The community is constantly changing, as people always change, creating new housing units. In general, communities are made up of a community center and residences. The center usually has schools, a chapel, and a space for socializing.

03) Rio Xingu Extractive Reserve, in Pará

The Extractive Reserve in Rio Xingu is located in the municipality of Altamira, in Pará, the region is also known as Terra do Meio. The extractive communities in this region have already experienced several economic cycles, such as rubber and Brazil nuts. Even the sale of chestnuts is still responsible for the economy of families, as well as the production of cassava flour. Currently, the population of the reserve is distributed in four major regions, they are: Baliza, Pedra Preta, Morro Grande and Morro do Felix.

04) Riverside people of Tapajós, in Pará

The riverine and extractive peoples of Tapajós are in the Flona de Tapajós Conservation Unit. The National Forest has more than 600 thousand hectares and is in the west of Pará, within the limits of Santarém and Alter do Chão. There are about 28 communities that live mainly from fishing and local crops.

The Tapajós National Forest was the first Flona created in the Amazon, and even so, it goes through many difficulties to preserve itself. Riverside people are constantly put to the test due to the illegality of some activities. In March of this year, researchers from the Federal University of Western Pará (UFOPA) found the residents to have a high level of mercury from mining.

Find out how Redda+ and you can help preserve the Amazon

Redda+ develops projects based on REDD+ mechanisms and the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. These projects are applied to traditional peoples and communities to join forces in the preservation and conservation of the environment. However, without ignoring the families that have always lived in the region and have a very close relationship with the forest.

In this way, Redda+ believes that it is possible to learn from forest peoples and collaborate in sustainable development. It is an exchange where both sides help each other for the greater good. This way, communities can continue to make a living from the forest, but they also do it with environmental awareness. In addition, they share their knowledge gathered during years of history and traditions in the region.

To develop the projects, Redda+ relies on the following pillars: economic, social, cultural, and environmental. It is a way of understanding that societies work from different perspectives, and all of them complement each other in some way. When these pillars are considered and developed in partnerships, the long-term results are promising.

What we want is to support the people of the Amazon Rainforest to grow and develop with autonomy and sustainability. In addition, we hope to apply actions that help offset the excessive emission of greenhouse gases. Click here, to learn more about our projects and join us too.