Ñande reko: the fundamentals of Guaraní traditional environmental knowledge in southern Brazil

This article presents some major aspects of environmental resource management by the Guaraní indigenous people in southern Brazil and the Río de La Plata basin. Drawing upon a broad interdisciplinary database from various authors since the 16th century AD, we suggest that the Guaraní passed down a system of knowledge about their particular way of life through many generations, which had begun in the Amazon region where they originated. This system was based on the form and function of their material culture, as well as their knowledge of their surroundings including the plants and animals there, and their practices. Their subsistence was based upon the long-term cultivation and management of a wide range of plants for food, medicine and raw materials. These resources were brought with them into newly colonized areas, and new plants were continually adopted for use, enabling the Guaraní to create settlements and manage the plants and animals within some very different ecosystems. These practices provided them with food security and eventually led to the modification of the vegetation in these landscapes by their activities.