indigenous projects

Care International UK

CARE International UK (CIUK) is part of the global CARE International confederation. It is an independent humanitarian organisation working to end world poverty. Since CARE's foundation in America in 1945 following the aftermath of World War II, CARE has now become one of the world's largest independent global relief and development organisations. Non-political and non-religious, CARE operates in over 70 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Since 2003, Onaway has partnered with CARE supporting indigenous projects. Recently, Onaway's focus has been to support Tupinamba Indians in Bahia, Brazil.

Bahai Indian Child

We are continually looking for partners who share our vision of a future where people can live in dignity and security.. CARE International UK

History of Bahia and the Tupinamba:

The southern part of Bahia at the Atlantic coast was one of the richest provinces of Brazil during colonial times. At the beginning of the 20th Century, the newly introduced cocoa tree, brought from the Amazon region, grew well under the shadow of high trees of coastal Atlantic Forest. After the cocoa crisis in the 1980's, large farms were abandoned by the owners, leaving behind in abject poverty the thousands of families that had lived and worked on the farms for generations. The poverty has led to social tension and violence, but has also resulted in several positive social movements that promote justice and agrarian reform. Thereafter, few indigenous communities managed to survive.

Once the largest indigenous groups along the Atlantic coast, the Tupinamba Indians, were pushed to remote and inhospitable areas by the aggressive expansion of large farms in the 1920s. Tupinamba are the people living in the eastern lowland area of South America, related to the Tupi of the Rio Sao Francisco and the Guarani of Paraguay and adjacent portions of Brazil and Argentina. This name has been used to denote the Guarani, Caete, Potiguara, and the original Tupinamba. At the time of the Spanish conquest (16th cent.), various groups migrated through the Amazon basin as far as Bolivia and lived in settlements consisting of four to eight large communal dwellings, each of which accommodated 100 to 200 people organized into 30 to 60 extended patrilineal families.

In 2000, during the celebrations of 500 years of the arrival in Brazil of the Portuguese, the sacred mantle of the Tupinamba was brought to an exhibition in Brazil. Following this event, Tupinamba have begun to recover their pride and self-esteem and emerge again as Indians, and have gained from the Indian Board the theoretical right to return to their land. The new Constitution (1988) was successfully influenced by strong pressure from indigenous groups and so is a document that protects the rights of indigenous populations including the right to their own land; to vote, to have access to public health care and to bilingual education.

Project:

In partnership with Onaway, CARE is working with another tribe of Tupinamba located in the hills of Serra do Padeiro, four hours away from the city of Ilheus. This Tupinamba tribe has a total population of 477 people and around 100 children of school age but, sadly, they do not have a school. The provision of bilingual classes is one of the most important ways to preserve the Tupinamba's culture, values and symbols and in 2005 Onaway provided a grant of £4000 for the construction of a school.

The school will be linked to an income generation project to enable its sustained upkeep and a group of young local men will be trained in traditional construction technology using earth and wood technologies. The knowledge acquired will later be used for the building of new traditional constructions in harmony with the environment they live in. CARE has already identified a volunteer architect who will train and supervise the construction process whilst earth and wood - locally and freely available - will be used sustainably.

"The indigenous bilingual school system is key to maintaining the identity and self-esteem of the Tupinamba."

"God only listens if I speak my own language"

The only way to perpetuate culture is through communication - the daily use of speech, reviving the Tupi language. It is important that the Tupi dialect be perpetuated in written form. Animating and revitalising the Tupi language will help to strengthen the sacred rituals. In Brazil there are 272 indigenous languages that need to be preserved. As time passes, there are fewer Indians who speak Tupi meaning that the children and youth have less access to their mother tongue, culture, traditions, rituals, etc. At the same time, Indians do not view themselves in isolation but also feel they are Brazilian, and Portuguese is considered a key element of their citizenship, enabling them to connect to and communicate with other Brazilians.

Meetings will also take place in the school which is considered an integral part of the tribe who are all involved in some way.

"Having this centre will strengthen the tribe's functioning as a community"

A community usually has different indigenous ethnic members, but all are valued and respected. Teachers at the new school will be a focal point for promoting this understanding and respect. The elders will play a key role in preparing new teachers and leaders within their community.

For more information about Care Intenrational, visit their website.

The Onaway Trust is a registered charity - number 268448.