Indians in the metropolis

the Pankararu in Sao Paulo

Abstract

The phenomenon of urbanization affects varied parts of population, including the ethnic Indians minorities. But even if some data shows us this reality in terms of common sense, the Indian existence still closely related to the forest, which means that most times the inhabitants of these areas can be recognized more easily. The city is seen as the place of integration, where lives the ones who are no longer Indians, who are assimilated to the national society. Against this background, this text will present some reflections about the Pankararu in São Paulo. Using the theories of ethnicity, it will be an ethnographic report turned to the understanding of this existence in the slum of the Real Parque area, at the neighborhood Morumbi, south of the city. From this case, we evidenced a lack of studies that includes the current Indian existence in the city and the Brazilian state inability in dealing with these issues.