Wikipedia Article Critique: Indigenous Peoples in Brazil

The Wikipedia article “Indigenous Peoples in Brazil,” although it addressed prominent aspects such as European colonization and cultural diversity, the source failed to link the indigenous heritage with racial categorization, a representative figure in defining Brazilian identity. The article showed relevance to the topic through discussing how the indigenous population constitute the Brazilian society throughout centuries. Although it properly represented both domestic and foreign forces each as perpetrators and victims, the article implicitly conveys Eurocentric views. For example, the text minimizes the dreadful impact Portuguese conquerors caused across Amerindian communities. Patricia Seed, an American historian and professor at University of Carolina Irvine, argues how religious superiority and cultural alienation played integral roles in indigenous enslavement. Moreover, the article disregards the intricate hierarchy between indigenous mercenaries and Europeans which begot an ambivalent nature across Brazilian societies. Overall, the article showed many underrepresented ideas.

Sources cited in this article contributed in adding insightful views; however, few evidences lack credibility. Several parts within the article needed proper citations as well as full descriptions on the original source. Citation issues were common in the article which online readers updated and modified external links on the talk page. Majority of sources relied on foreign texts, scholarly journals, and online sources. I believe the article cited a wide variety of sources and historical evidences that incorporate both foreign language and English based texts. However, as mentioned earlier, the article essentially should establish a central theme through adding a larger scope of scholarly sources. The lack of information rates this article as incomplete. Despite such failures in containing thorough descriptions of the unique culture, social impact, and historical significance Brazilian Amerindians possessed, the source covers a large area of their origins and experience. Full coverage on indigenous people in Brazil should be contemplated and addressed through the WikiProject.

The Wikipedia Talk page and the discussions led by online users point out two historical aspects of indigenous people in Brazil: racial prejudice and social oppression. I strongly insist establishing a central theme for conveying a clear image of Brazilian Amerindians and their historical heritage, and further expand those ideas to illustrate how those themes constitute Brazilian national identity. For example, historical and cultural aspects such as European colonization, transculturation, and cannibalism should be dealt in the article to address current issues the indigenous people in Brazil experience. Moreover, the article, compared to the classroom discussions, neglect the ongoing problems the Brazilian tribes face in the contemporary world. Environmental decadence in Amazon’s ecosystem and commercialization of tribal cultures are the two representative figures Brazilian Amerindians are experiencing.