Waimiri Atroari Indigenous Territory
| Waimiri Atroari Indigenous Territory | |
|---|---|
| Terra Indígena Waimiri Atroari | |
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| Nearest city | Presidente Figueiredo, Amazonas |
| Coordinates | 0°51′38″S 60°31′21″W / 0.860553°S 60.522396°WCoordinates: 0°51′38″S 60°31′21″W / 0.860553°S 60.522396°W |
| Area | 2,585,910 hectares (6,389,900 acres) |
| Designation | Indigenous territory |
| Created | 1989 |
| Administrator | Funai |
The Waimiri Atroari Indigenous Territory (Portuguese: Terra Indígena Waimiri Atroari) is an indigenous territory in the states of Amazonas and Roraima, Brazil. There has been a long history of violent conflict between the indigenous Waimiri-Atroari people and newcomers from other parts of Brazil. Since the 1960s there have been many efforts to "civilise" the Waimiri-Atroari to avoid problems with the BR-174 highway, which cuts across the territory, and with tin mines and the huge Balbina Dam. The territory is now considerably smaller, but there have been improvements in living standards.
The territory has an area of 2,585,910 hectares (6,389,900 acres), divided between the states of Amazonas and Roraima. It lies to the northwest of the massive reservoir of the Balbina Dam and to the east of the Rio Negro. The reserve contains the basins of the Jauaperi and Camanaú rivers and their tributaries, the Alalaú, Curiaú, Pardo and Santo Antonio do Abonari rivers. The BR-174 federal highway from Manaus to Boa Vista runs through the reserve from south to north.
The first recorded European contact with the Waimiri-Atroari was when the botanist João Barbosa Rodrigues travelled through various villages in the region in 1884. He was followed by woodsmen looking for animal pelts, Brazil nuts, rosewood, rubber and other natural resources. The intruders were attacked by Indians armed with bows and arrows. In response, the government mounted military expeditions in which many Indians were killed. A rough estimate of the population at the start of the 20th century is 2000–6000. Alípio Bandeira of the Indian Protection Service (SPI) travelled in the Jauaperi River region in 1911 and established the first Indian attraction station on the river in 1912, where he made the first friendly contacts with people then called the Uaimirys. However, gatherers of natural products continued to invade the territory and the cycle of attacks on the gatherers and government reprisals continued. Entire villages were destroyed.
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