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The indigenous contribution to the formation of the population of the Brazilian Amazon Region

Sidney Emanuel Batista dos Santos; João Farias Guerreiro

Departamento de Patologia, Laboratório de Genética Humana e Médica, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, 66059-900 Belém, PA, Brasil. Send correspondence to S.E.B.S.

ABSTRACT

A total of 5417 individuals were investigated in terms of 13 genetic systems and one dispersal measurement, birthplace, in 11 populations of the Brazilian Amazon Region characterized by a White + Indian + Black contribution. The genetic data were used to estimate the contribution of the different ethnic groups to the population of each town and to the population as a whole. The results showed that in most towns the Indian contribution was greater than the Black but smaller than the Caucasian proportion. When considering the data as a whole, the contribution of Whites, Indians and Blacks was estimated to he 47%, 41% and 12%, respectively. This estimate corresponds to the existence of approximately four million "Indians" amalgamated into the urban population of the Amazon region.

Keywords: indigenous; population; Brazilian Amazon.

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