The 2022 Census starts today (10) in indigenous territories and runs until October 31. Indigenous people residing inside or outside their lands, in urban or rural areas, in addition to those from other countries, will be censused. All communities and villages, regardless of whether or not they have been previously mapped, will be visited.
The first step is to explain the Demographic Census to indigenous leaders and sensitize them to allow census takers to enter the villages. The manager of traditional territories and protected areas at the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), Fernando Damasco, highlighted the need for a differentiated and respectful approach to indigenous territories.
“Leadership plays a fundamental role in the process, to explain to the community the importance of the research and so that no one is afraid to respond because the information is protected”, said the manager.
The second activity will be the application of a questionnaire about the village or community, with questions about infrastructure, access to natural resources, education, health, habits and practices. Then, the census takers will visit all the dwellings to carry out interviews with the resident families.
According to the IBGE, an indigenous person is understood to be a person who self-identifies in this way. “The census taker or anyone else on the collection team cannot question the informant or cast doubt on his statement,” says the institute.
According to the IBGE, the 2010 Demographic Census was the first survey that recorded the number of ethnicities and indigenous languages existing in Brazil. 896,900 indigenous people were counted, from 305 ethnic groups or peoples and speakers of 274 indigenous languages.
