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The Guajá that are in permanent contact
live on the Alto Turiaçu (530,520 hectares) and
Caru (172,667 hectares) Indian Reserves; both of these
areas have been officially demarcated and registered.
Since 1982 there has been an attempt to establish a new
land area for the Guajá, known as the Awá
Indian Reserve. The establishment of this reserve would
link up the Alto Turiaçu and Caru Reserves, thus
creating a contiguous land area less prone to invasion
by local settlers. In addition to providing more security
for the Guajá, the consolidation of these areas
would give them more land to carry out their traditional
subsistence activities. The establishment of the Awá
Reserve would also deed them a land area of their own
since they currently share the Alto Turiaçu and
Caru Reserves with the Ka´apor, Timbira e Guajajara.
Moreover, it is believed that some uncontacted Guajá
reside in this area such that its demarcation would extend
protection to these groups as well. Some stretches of
this would-be Reserve have been deforested, not to mention
that some feeder roads are already cutting through the
area, serving as a conduit for the illegal extraction
of lumber. Thus, it is extremely important that this Reserve
be demarcated and registered to guarantee a more secure
future for the Guajá. The last official document
addressing the issue of a future land area for the Guajá
was Brazil's Official Daily Bulletin (Diário
Oficial da União), posted on July 29, 1992,
by its Ministry of Justice, designating approximately
118,000 hectares for the future Awá Reserve. However,
till this day, demarcation has not gone forward as powerful
regional interests, wielding much political and economic
power, have steadily lobbied against the establishment
of the Awá Reserve.
Other groups of uncontacted Guajá were sighted
on the Arariboia Indian Reserve, by the Guajajara Indians,
to the south of the Alto Turiaçu and Caru Reserves.
Other sightings of uncontacted Guajá were reported
on the Gurupi Biological Reserve, adjacent to Caru Reserve,
to its west. As it happens, other uncontacted groups
were also seen on the Alto Turiaçu and Caru Reserves,
as well as some of their vestiges, such as abandoned
campsites, as reported by the Ka'apor and contacted
groups of Guajá. Additionally, more distant groups
have been seen trekking on sierras linking up the states
of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, Goiás,
Bahia e Minas Gerais. In fact, this natural corridor
has served as a refuge for some Guajá groups
and it has safely conducted some individuals to Bahia
and Minas Gerais. The Guajá's passage through
this area is an example of their capacity to adapt to
different ecosystems and adverse conditions in their
quest for survival.
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