Ɨitü’iheẽ - or when everything changed: on contact and occupation of Aikanã lands in the Corumbiara-Apediá region, southwestern Amazon

Abstract

This article addresses historical processes that brought fundamental changes to the indigenous people of the Corumbiara-Apediá region, in the south of the state of Rondônia, focusing on the Aikanã and their neighbours, Salamãi, Kwazá and Kanoé. By examining historical and anthropological documentation alongside Aikanã memory, it highlights the impact of the invasion of traditional occupation territories and the resulting population displacement due to the rubber economy and, later agribusiness. The period covered ranges from the earliest records of the Aikanã and neighbouring peoples, in the begining of the 20th century to the mid-1960s and 1970s, when infrastructure projects and the sale of federal lands began, prompting the Aikanã to settle in what is now their indigenous territory. Through a critical reading of the available sources, the article emphasizes the stories of various individuals mentioned in Aikanã memory, or by travellers and scientists who visited the area. This paper is a contribution to the still incomplete literature on the Corumbiara-Apediá region, which continues to be under immense social and ecological pressure.