“The right thing is to always call an indigenous person by his name. I am Munduruku, but I am indigenous by origin. Indian is a word empty of meaning, indigenous is a word full of meaning. Indian does not mean anything, indigenous.” “It means original,” said writer and activist Daniel Munduruku in an interview reverberation.
“The colonizers placed the name 'Indian' on these populations and it became a nickname, a title for all people who belong to indigenous peoples. There was no talk of diversity, but of unity. This word united all these cultures. In the image of 'Indian,'” he added. This is the general “Indian.”
“Today the term ‘Indian’ highlights a great deal of prejudice and discrimination,” said historian Andre Figueiredo Rodriguez, a professor at UNICEF.
In Brazil, the term “Indian” to refer to indigenous peoples began to be questioned in the 1970s, with indigenous activism emerging in a more systematic manner.
Although the term “indigenous peoples” seems to be the most consecrated term nowadays, it is still possible to go further. “The term indigenous has been used for a long time, but it is more correct to say ‘indigenous peoples’ because in general they constitute the origin of this continental country,” highlights writer and environmentalist Kaka Wira.
*With information from a report from April 2023.
