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The Guajá call themselves Awá, a
term which means "man", "person",
or "people". Their origins are obscure yet it
is believed that they came from lower Tocantins river
basin of Pará state. They probably formed part
of a larger group composed of other Tupi-Guarani peoples,
such as the Ka'apor, Tembé, and Guajajara (Tenetehar)
(Gomes 1988, 1989 & 1991; Balée 1994). As European
colonial settlement expanded, exerting pressure on local
indigenous populations, these groups were forced to disperse.
With the advent of the Cabanagem upheaval, around 1835-1840,
they steadily moved in an easterly direction, towards
the state of Maranhão. It is likely that by 1950
all of the Guajá were already residing east of
the Gurupi river, which separates Pará from Maranhão
state (Gomes 1989 & 1991). |
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01. Photo: Michel Pellanders, 1996 |
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