Kiriri people are indigenous people of Eastern Brazil. Their name is also spelled Cariri or Kariri and is a Tupi word meaning "silent" or "taciturn".[1]

Kiriri
Map of traditional Kiriri territory
Total population
1,612 (2006)[1]
Regions with significant populations
 Brazil ( Ceará)
Languages
Portuguese, formerly Kariri
Religion
Toré religion

History

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The French Capuchin missionary Martin of Nantes (1638–1714) was the apostle of the Kariri people on the São Francisco River between 1672 and 1683.

The various Kariri peoples were settled in different towns (aldeia) and villages (vila), listed as follows.[2]

Captaincy Town or municipality Village or location Patron saint Missionary order Group
Bahia Jaguaripe do Rio da Aldeia Jaguaripe Sto. Antônio Clerics Brotherhood Kariri
Bahia Conquista da Pedra Branca Cachoeira     Kariri
Bahia Caranguejo Cachoeira     Sapuyá
Bahia Rio Real Vila da Abadia Jesus, Maria, José Carmelite Kiriri
Bahia Aramaris São João da Água Fria   Clerics Brotherhood Kiriri
Bahia Natuba Itapicuru N. Sra. da Conceição Jesuit Kiriri
Bahia Canabrava Itapicuru Sta. Teresa Jesuit Kiriri
Bahia Saco dos Morcegos Itapicuru Ascensão de Cristo Jesuit Kiriri
Bahia Massacará Itapicuru Sma. Trindade Franciscan Kiriri, Kaimbé
Sergipe Juru Lagarto N. Sra. do Socorro Jesuit Kiriri
Pernambuco Gameleira Alagoas N. Sra. das Brotas Clerics Brotherhood Kariri, Língua Geral and Uruá
Pernambuco São Brás Penedo N. Sra. do Ó Jesuit Kariri and Progéz
Pernambuco Ilha do Pambu Rio São Francisco N. Sra. da Conceição Capuchin Kariri
Pernambuco Ilha de Aracapá Rio São Francisco S. Francisco Capuchin Kariri
Pernambuco Ilha do Cavalo Rio São Francisco S. Félix Capuchin Kariri
Pernambuco Ilha do Irapuá Rio São Francisco Sto. Antônio Capuchin Kariri
Pernambuco Ilha de Inhanhuns Rio São Francisco N. Sra. da Piedade Franciscan Kariri
Paraíba Cariris Taypu N. Sra. do Pillar Capuchin Kariri
Ceará Miranda Icó N. Sra. da Penha de França Capuchin Kariri, Quixelô, Quixeréu, Cariú, Cariuané, Calabaça, and Icozinho

Territory

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Today a large portion of their traditional homelands is still called the Cariris region. Within this region are two cities, Crato and Juazeiro do Norte.

The Chapada Diamantina has a dramatic landscape with high plains, table-top mesas, and steep cliffs or towers known as 'tepuy.' Before the arrival of the Portuguese in the 19th century, the only local inhabitants of the region were indigenous Indians from the Maracas and Cariris tribes. In 1985, the Chapada Diamantina National Park was created with its headquarters in Palmeiras.

Kiriri people live in the Kiriri Indigenous Territory, an indigenous territory. Through their successful political organization, they were able to expel 1,200 non-native squatters from their lands since 1990.[1]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c "Kiriri: Introduction." Povos Indígenas no Brasil. (retrieved 13 Aug 2011)
  2. ^ DANTAS, Beatriz G., SAMPAIO, José Augusto L. and CARVALHO, Maria do Rosário G. "Os Povos Indígenas no Nordeste Brasileiro: Um Esboço Histórico". In: M. Carneiro da Cunha (org.), História dos Índios no Brasil. São Paulo: FAPESP/SMC/ Companhia das Letras. pp. 431-456. 1992.
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