The Karo, or Arara Karo, are an indigenous group of people who live in
Brazil, state of Rondônia. The Gavião tribe, traditional enemies of the
Karo, live inside the same reservation.
The Karo counted 208 people in total in 2006. When referring to themselves the
Kano call themselves "I'târap", which means "all of us".
Contact
The Karo were contacted at the end of the 1940s, when hundreds of them died
because of diseases. The survivors went to live in rubber collector camps in
the region. They became involved in a non-indigenous way of life, but their
shamans are still recognized by all the Indians of the neighboring regions as
being very powerful.
Language
The Karo speak their own native language which was previously known as
Arara.
The language belongs to the Ramarama family, part of the Tupi linguistic
group. (Rodrigues, 1964)
Location
Traditionally the Karo have always lived in the area where they are today,
the Lourdes Stream Indigenous Land, which they share with the Gavião tribe,
their traditional enemies.
The area extends over about 190,000 square kilometers, and it was homlogated
in 1986. Of this, one third is property of the Karo and two thirds is property
of the Gavião.
External links
*Karo at socioambiental.org