Amanayé

The Amanayé (Amanayé/Amanaié or Ararandeuara/Araradeua) are a Tupi-Guaranian Indigenous people of Brazil's Amazon basin. They live between the cities of Belém and Brasília in the state of Pará, near the municipality of São Domingos do Capim.

History and contact

Historically, the Amanayé have also been known as the Manaye, Manazewa, Manajo, Manaxo, Ararandeuras, and the Turiwa. They originally came from the Pindaré River area of Maranhão, with possible relations to the Tembé Indians.

It was at the Pindaré River that they resisted integration into villages. The Amanyé were first contacted in 1755 as they tended to avoid white missionaries, however they made a deal with Father David Fay, a Jesuit missionary among the Guajajara of the São Francisco do Carará village. Fay managed to persuade the Amanayé to settle in a village together with the Guajajara, their traditional enemies. Shortly afterwards, part of the group moved to the Alpercatas River, on the border of Maranhão and Piauí, settling near the village of Santo Antônio.

In the early 19th century, their population reached an estimated high of approximately 300 to 400 individuals residing in villages along the Caju River. However, by 1815 just 20 of them remained, mixed with other races, with most disappearing into the Mestizo population in the 20th century, though their contemporary culture provides little disapproval for intermarriage with Mestizos or other Indians.