Study points to risk to indigenous culture in the Federal District.

Agency Board - In order to draw a profile of the Indians who live in the country's capital and in 12 cities in Goiás, the unprecedented research entitled Indigenous Population: a first look at the phenomenon of the urban Indian in the metropolitan area of ​​Brasília was carried out. The data were presented on the morning of this Wednesday (22), at the headquarters of the Planning Company of the Federal District (Codeplan). The disclosure is part of the Indigenous April program, a series of events promoted by the government of Brasília to mark the passing of Indigenous Day — April 19.

"There is a perpetuation of these social fragilities and vulnerabilities. Illiteracy is passed down from generation to generation. There are also populations that leave indigenous lands for the cities and become vulnerable. In addition to losing their identity as indigenous people, they are in a situation of illiteracy and low-paying jobs. This is the great concern that the study raises," highlighted the director of Studies and Social Policies at Codeplan, Flávio Gonçalves.

Of the 2.570.160 inhabitants, according to the 2010 Census of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the Federal District has 6.128 indigenous people. The majority (97%) are concentrated in urban areas. Of the total, the three administrative regions with the largest indigenous populations are Ceilândia (13%), Planaltina (8,6%), and Samambaia (8,5%).

Of the municipalities in the neighboring state — belonging to the metropolitan periphery of Brasília, according to Codeplan — the highest rate is in Cidade Ocidental, with three indigenous people for every thousand inhabitants. The lowest values ​​are found in Cocalzinho de Goiás (0,86), Cristalina (1,18) and Padre Bernardo (1,37).

According to gender, Cocalzinho de Goiás (GO), Planaltina (GO), and Alexânia (GO) lead in male participation, with 60%, 52,4%, and 51,3%, respectively. The female ranking shows Santo Antônio do Descoberto (GO) with 59%, Valparaíso de Goiás (GO) with 58,5%, and Cidade Ocidental (GO) with 57,1%. In the Federal District, the indigenous population is predominantly female, at 55,3%.

Regarding age range, the Federal District has the highest proportions in the 25-39 age group (29,3%) and the 40-59 age group (27,8%). The research data also shows that, despite the similarities between the population pyramids of the metropolitan periphery of Brasília and the Federal District, in the age groups up to 9 years and 60 years and over, the data are opposite: in the first group, there are more children up to 9 years old (10,4%) and fewer elderly people (9,2%) than in the Federal District.

Regarding the origin of the indigenous population residing in the Federal District, 40,2% come from the Northeast, 28,2% from the Central-West, 17,3% from the North, and 14,2% from the Southeast, with no records of indigenous migrants coming from the South of the country. Of those who came from the Central-West, 78% were born in the Federal District, 12,7% come from Mato Grosso, and 9,3% from Goiás.

Data from the 2010 Census on the language used by indigenous people over 5 years old in the Federal District show that 96,9% did not speak an indigenous language at home. Regarding housing, of private households with at least one indigenous resident, the largest percentage refers to owned properties (56,8%), followed by rented properties (33,8%) and properties provided free of charge (8,2%). Other forms of occupancy account for 1,2%.

Culture and schooling
Regarding education, the proportion of people aged 15 or older who are illiterate is higher than that of other ethnic groups: 5,3%. The Black population accounts for 4,3% of illiterate individuals, while the non-Black population has the lowest rate, at 2,4%.

"The illiteracy rate among indigenous peoples here in the Federal District is very striking. It's unreasonable that we have this data in the capital of the Republic, which boasts the distinction of being free of illiteracy. Surely, this is one of our priority tasks arising from this work," explained Vera Araújo, Deputy Secretary for Racial Equality at the Secretariat for Policies for Women, Racial Equality and Human Rights.

Income and work
More than half of the indigenous population (55%) reported receiving, individually, more than one to three minimum monthly wages; 24,8% are in the income bracket of up to one minimum wage, and 4,7% have an income exceeding five minimum wages. In the labor market, indigenous participation ranged from 2% to 2,7% in the public sector and from 3,1% to 4,8% in the private sector between 2008 and 2012.

Also present at the study's launch was the head of the Cultural Diversity Center of the Secretariat for Policies for Women, Racial Equality and Human Rights, Osvaldo Xukuru. A militant in the indigenous movement for over 45 years, the director of the Memorial of Indigenous Peoples, Álvaro Tukano, expressed satisfaction with the treatment given to indigenous people by the Brasília government. "This is a big difference in Brazil," he concluded.

Veja here the entire study.