From Indigenous Peoples in Brazil

What is Indigenist Policy?

The expression "indigenist policies" was used for a long time to refer to each and every political action, governmental or not, which would have indigenous populations as its object. However, several changes in the indigenist field demand a more precise and less ambiguous definition of what indigenist policy may be.

The progressive development of the indigenous movement and the consequent increase in number and diversity of native organizations, run by the indigenous peoples themselves, point to the first distinction in the indigenist universe: the indigenous policy adopted by the Native Brazilians themselves (see the indigenous organizations section) should not be mistaken for the indigenist policy, nor is the former submitted to the latter.

By and large, it is understood that the indigenist policy specifically refers to acts in benefit of Native Brazilian peoples causing deep impact on their lifestyle and everyday life. Such acts, however, are proposed and elaborated by other social agents. And who are they?