Ribeirinhos
Ribeirinho dwellings | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 7,105,000 (2020) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Brazil | |
| Languages | |
| Portuguese |
The ribeirinhos are a traditional rural population in the Amazon rainforest, who live near rivers. Their main activities are fishing and farming on a small scale, for their own use. They usually live in pile dwellings and travel by motor boats called voadeiras.[1]
Anthropologist Charles Wagley described the ribeirinhos in terms of their high state of adaptation to their tropical riverine environment, pointing to the continuity between indigenous groups and ribeirinhos with regard to agricultural techniques and knowledge of the forest.[2][3]
It is believed Ribeirinho people migrated to the Amazon riverbanks when rubber industry collapsed. Living in stilt homes they have been guardians of the river’s diversity, yet they struggle to access enough employment, medical or dental care, and clean drinking water, so children under five often die from water-born diseases.[4]
See also
References
- ^ Lira, T.M.; Chaves, M.P.S.R. (2016). "Comunidades ribeirinhas na Amazônia: organização sociocultural e política". Interações (Campo Grande) (in Portuguese). 17: 66–76. doi:10.20435/1518-70122016107. ISSN 1518-7012. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ Wagley, C. (1953). Amazon town: a study of man in the tropics. London: Macmillan.
- ^ Galvão, E. (1979). Encontro de Sociedades: índios e brancos no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: Paz e Terra.
- ^ Siqueira, Gabriel. "How Quilombola and Ribeirinho Communities Are Defending the Amazon — And Why It Matters". Global Citizen. June 26, 2025. Retrieved 2 March 2026.