Show Menu
Brasil de Fato
PORTUGUESE
Listen to BdF Radio
  • Support
  • Podcasts
  • TV BDF
  • |
  • Politics
  • Brazil
  • BRICS
  • Climate
  • Struggles
  • Opinion
  • Interviews
  • Culture
No Result
View All Result
Show Menu
Brasil de Fato
  • Support
  • Podcasts
  • TV BDF
  • |
  • Politics
  • Brazil
  • BRICS
  • Climate
  • Struggles
  • Opinion
  • Interviews
  • Culture
Show Menu
Listen to BdF Radio
No Result
View All Result
Brasil de Fato
Home English

Indigenous Rights

Brazil: Thousands of indigenous peoples demand the right to use their ancestral name

Nearly 2,000 people have filed requests to have their indigenous names appear on their government documents

15.Dec.2017 às 13h10
Belém (PA)
Lilian Campelo
Márcia Kambeba, whose indigenous name is Wyana Kiana

Márcia Kambeba, whose indigenous name is Wyana Kiana - Marco Zaoboni

Nearly 2,000 indigenous from Brazil have filed requests to have their indigenous names appear on birth records and government identification cards, according to public attorney’s from the Strategic Action for Human Rights.   

Indigenous peoples from the Brazilian state of Pará were forced to reach out to public defenders after their name change requests were denied by local officials on the grounds that it was for their own protection to deter against any potential "prejudicial treatment."

"I have always identified with my indigenous name but my government documents have always included my non-indigenous name, which makes me feel as if my identity was not being acknowledged," said Pytàwà Fabiano Warhyti Soares, who is in currently in the process of having his name changed. 

Pytàwà is among many Brazil’s indigenous peoples whom are forced to navigate the challenges of embracing their ethnic identity due to government and institutional barriers. 

Márcia Kambeba, whose indigenous name is Wyana Kiana, emphasized the importance of being able to maintain her indigenous identity by exercising her legal right to use her ancestral name. 

"The importance of having an indigenous name is that it strengthens the people, it keeps our ancestral memories and resistance alive. It represents a continuation of the struggle, the knowledge and the existence of our people," Said Wyana Kiana, who has also requested a formal name change. 

There are about 240 tribes living in Brazil today, totaling around 900,000 people, or 0.4% of Brazil’s population.

“When we began our legal work in the area Indigenous identity rights, we also saw it as a tool that could help maintain and guarantee their legal claims to their ancestral territory,” Public defender Johny Giffoni the with NDDH stated. 

All of this takes place as Indigenous territory and culture across Brazil has come under threat due to recent constitutional changes approved by Brazilian President Michel Temer. 

Since President Temer assumed office, his administration has not established a single territorial boundary for Indigenous communities applying for formal land recognition. 

Edited by: Vanessa Martina da Silva | Translation: Nate Singham
loader
BdF Newsletter
I have read and agree to the terms of use and privacy policy.

More News

CRISIS

Haitian intellectuals slam OAS decision on International Mission in Haiti: ‘US Policy to maintain chaos’

Economy

Dollar falls in Brazil, but doesn’t guarantee stability ‘by no means’, says economist

Vijay Prashad

The Global North lives off intellectual rents

Global South

Combination of Brazilian and Chinese technologies could boost agroecological production

Africa

Understanding the impacts of nationalizing the electrical industry and the uranium production in Niger

Analysis

Tax on Financial Transactions represents ‘major defeat for Lula’s government’ in Brazil, says political scientist

All original content produced and editorially authored by Brasil de Fato may be reproduced, provided it is not altered and proper credit is given.

No Result
View All Result
  • Support
  • Podcasts
  • TV BDF
  • Politics
  • Brazil
  • BRICS
  • Climate
  • Struggles
  • Opinion
  • Interviews
  • Culture

All original content produced and editorially authored by Brasil de Fato may be reproduced, provided it is not altered and proper credit is given.