The Karipuna do Amapá (also: Karipúna) are an indigenous people located in the riverine areas of the

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

ian state of

Amapá Amapá (; ) is one of the 26 federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil. It is in the North Region, Brazil, North Region of Brazil. It is Federative units of Brazil#List, the second-least populous state and the eighteenth-largest state by area ...

, particularly around the Caripi River. In 2014, the population was estimated at 2,922 people.

History

The Amerindians use the term Karipuna, because they are mixed or civilized Amerindians. The tribe is the result of several migrations, and mixing with non-indigenous people. The main groups being Amerindian, French Guianese, Saint Lucian Arabs, and Chinese. In 1830, the

Cabanagem The Cabanagem (; 1835–1840) was a popular revolution and pro-separatist movement that occurred in the then province of Grão-Pará, Empire of Brazil. Among the causes for this revolt were the extreme poverty of the Paraense people, oppressio ...

Revolt resulted in the migration from the mouth of the Amazon River to the region. The Karipuna had long been in contact with French Guianese which intensified during the

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

of 1854 in Approuague. They used to speak the now extinct Karipúna do Uaçá language, but by 1900,

Karipúna French Creole Karipúna French Creole, also known as Amapá French Creole and , is a French-based creole language spoken by the Galibi Marworno, which live in the Uaçá Indian Reservation in the Brazilian state of Amapá, on the Curipi and Oyapock rivers. It ...

had taken over. The borders between French Guiana and Brazil were not clear, and therefore, the area between the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

and the

Oiapoque Oiapoque () is a municipality in the north of the state of Amapá, Brazil. Its population is 27,906 and its area is . Oiapoque is also a major river in the same state, forming the international border with French Guiana. The Oyapock River Bridge, ...

was considered a neutral territory. In 1886, the unrecognised

Republic of Independent Guiana The Republic of Independent Guiana (), commonly referred to by the name of the capital Counani (rendered "Cunani" in Portuguese), was a short-lived unrecognized state in South America. Republic (1886–1891) The borders between France and the Em ...

was proclaimed in the disputed area. In 1897, France and Brazil asked Switzerland to settle the border dispute. In 1900, the Swiss awarded most of the territory to Brazil. At the start of the 20th century, there were about 150 Karipuna. In the 1920, the Brazilian government started to exert control over the "frenchified" Amerindians in the Oiapoque region, and embarked on a colonization program which failed in 1925. In 1934, a teacher was sent to the Caripi River to establish a school. In the 1970s, the Amerindians in the Oiapoque banded together, and formed a political action groups. This resulted in the demarcation by

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of a common area of 5,181 km² for the

Palikur The Palikur are an Indigenous people located in the riverine areas of the Brazilian state of Amapá and in French Guiana, particularly in the south-eastern border region, on the north bank of the Oyapock River. The Palikur Nation, or ''naoné'', ...

, the

Uaçá Galibi The Kalina, also known as the Caribs or mainland Caribs and by several other names, are an Indigenous people native to the northern coastal areas of South America. Today, the Kalina live largely in villages on the rivers and coasts of Venezuela ...

, and the Karipuna do Amapá. In 1992, Apoio was established as a political association for all tribes in the region.

Settlements

The Karipuna are spread over 16 settlements. Most of the settlements are along the Caripi River. Some villages like Piquiá and Curipi have been established along the

BR-156 BR-156 is a federal highway of Brazil. The road consists of 552 km between Oiapoque and Macapá, and 271 km between Macapá and Laranjal do Jari (except via Santana city), totalling 823 km of road through forest and savannah. Only the road be ...

highway. The largest settlements are

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(1,075), Espírito Santo (657) and Santa Isabel (382). The villages of Kunanã and Uahá are shared with the

Galibi Marwono The Kalina, also known as the Caribs or mainland Caribs and by several other names, are an Indigenous people native to the northern coastal areas of South America. Today, the Kalina live largely in villages on the rivers and coasts of Venezuela ...

. There is an unpaved road from Manga to the BR-156. Karipuna have started to migrate to

. The opening of the

Oyapock River Bridge The Franco-Brazilian Binational Bridge spans the Oyapock River, linking the cities of Oiapoque in Amapá, Brazil and Saint-Georges-de-l'Oyapock in French Guiana, France. The bridge is cable-stayed bridge, cable-stayed, with two towers rising to a ...

has accelerated the migration to the urban area around

Cayenne Cayenne (; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and capital city of French Guiana, an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Caye ...

, and led to the founding of Résidence Arc-en-ciel.

Language

The main languages spoken by the Karipuna are

and Portuguese. French Creole is also used as a common language with the Palikur and the Uaçá Galibi.

Economy

The economy is mainly based on fishing and subsistence farming.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Karipuna do Amapá Indigenous peoples in Brazil Indigenous peoples of the Guianas