However, the Brazilian government was extraordinarily slow to act on its commitment. Without government intervention it seemed very likely that the Awa and their ancient culture would become extinct. There were many cases of tribespeople being killed by settlers, but perhaps more significantly, the forest on which they depend was being destroyed by logging and land clearance for farming. This was particularly important for the Awa because their forests were increasingly being invaded by outsiders. One condition of this loan was that the lands of certain indigenous peoples (including the Awa) would be demarcated and protected.

In 1982, the Brazilian government received a loan of 900 million USD from the World Bank and the European Union. From the mid-1980s onward, some Awa moved to government-established settlements, but for the most part they were able to maintain their traditional way of life, living entirely off their forests, in nomadic groups of a few dozen people, with little or no contact with the outside world. Originally living in settlements, they adopted a nomadic lifestyle about 1800 to escape incursions by Europeans.ĭuring the 19th century, they came under increasing attack by settlers in the region, who cleared most of the forests from their land. Their language is in the Tupi-Guarani family. Approximately 350 members survive, and 100 of those have no contact with the outside world. The Awa or Guaja are an endangered indigenous group of people living in the eastern Amazon forests of Brazil.

Awa people