The Apinajé are classified as Western Timbira and are characterized by a sophisticated social organization comprised of various systems of ceremonial moieties and relatively populous villages. In the second half of the 20^th Century, however, they suffered major depopulation and social disorganization, when their territory was invaded by hundreds of migrant families and they had their lands cut by highways, such as the Belém-Brasília and the Trans-Amazonian highways. The route of the Trans-Amazon directly led to the exclusion of a part of their traditional territory during the official demarcation of their lands, which they have been trying to recover.