Aikanã

Toy Art Aikanã

#	Name	Outher names or spellings	linguistic Family	Demographic Information
1	Aikanã	Massacá, Tubarão, Columbiara, Mundé, Huari, Aikaná	Aikaná	Brazilian Estate / Country Population Source/Year RO 328 Siasi/Sesai 2012

The Aicanãs (also known as Aikanã, Massaca massaka, Huari, Corumbiará, Kasupá, Munde, Shark, Winzankyi) is a Brazilian indigenous people. They speak the language aicanã.

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The Aicanãns worship the myth of Kiantô, a giant snake with rainbow colors presiding over the realm of water.

The Indigenous Land that now inhabits most Aikanã does not correspond to their traditional territory. (See list of "Inhabited Lands" in the right menu) were taken there by Funai in 1970, along with two other indigenous peoples. Given the low fertility of the soil, they drew sustenance from the syringe, but, due to the fall in the price of the product, now encounter serious difficulties in their physical and cultural reproduction. Far from to resign themselves to this situation, Aikanã currently developing cultural development projects and seek to keep alive the language through bilingual schooling.

History

According to information given by Aikanã own until the time of their transfer, they inhabited rich lands nearby Tanaru, one of the smallest rivers in the region, the River Pimenta Bueno.

To be removed for the current Indigenous Land, they were taken with two other people, both very small number, the Koazá (also spelled Kwaza), then known as Arara, and Latundê. It is noteworthy that these were different people, each bringing their culture and speaking their own language. In stories of their ancestors, the Aikanã describe Koazá as fierce warriors, dangerous sorcerers and their bitter enemies.

According to anthropologist and researcher Price (1981), in 1940 the Indian Protection Service has opened a service center in Igarapé Cascade, a tributary of the Pimenta Bueno, and were brought there several indigenous groups, including the Aikanã. Here, then, measles and strong colds caused the death of a large number of individuals, these leaving groups significantly reduced. The oldest Aikanã confirms these facts.

Apparently, the first closer contacts that we know of between Aikanã and the non-indigenous population was in the early 1940s, through geological engineer Vitor Dequech, whom I had the opportunity to meet in the 1990s with a team prepared for minerals survey sent by General Rondon, between 1941 and 1943, led the Dequech Urucumacuan Expedition, who traveled through the area for potential gold deposits in the Pimenta Bueno river and its tributaries. In that period, kept frequent contacts with the Indians of the region, including Aikanã - that he referred to as "Massaca" and documented in detail, all the contacts and activities undertaken during his trip. This contact is recorded in past issues of the Journal High Wood, published in those years in Porto Velho.

Aikanã is the name of one of about forty indigenous peoples who inhabit the state of Rondonia, especially in the known region of the Guaporé, the so-called 'lowlands' of the Amazon. The Guaporé River is the main divider between the borders of this state with Bolivia.

In 2005, most Aikanã live in three villages in the Indigenous Land Shark Latundê, them designated by Incra in 1970. This area of sandy and corroded by erosion terrain is in the southeastern state of Rondônia, about 180 km the city of Vilhena and around 100 km from the border between Brazil and Bolivia. The nearest rivers are the Chupinguaia and Pimenta Bueno, but access to them is greatly hindered. There are still many Aikanã living in nearby towns, especially Vilhena.

In the first contact made with Aikanã by this researcher, in December 1988, there were a total of 85 individuals. In 2005, Aikanã numbered about 180 people.