Terena - Settlements

The Terena are spread over thirteen indigenous areas totaling twenty-nine villages: of these areas, six have an exclusively Terena population and four have a predominantly Terena population; in three areas the Terena are in the minority. The areas with an exclusively Terena population are Aldeinha, Burity, Cachoeirinha, Nioaque, Pilade Rebuá, and Taunay/Ipeque. Those with a predominantly Terena population are Hraribá (Terena, Guaraní, and Kaingáng); LaLima (Terena and Kinkinau); Limão Verde (Terena and Guaraní) ; and Vanuire (Terena and Kaingáng). Those with a Terena minority are Dourados (Guaraní and Terena); Icatu (Kaingáng and Terena); and Kadiwéu (Kadiwéu and Terena). For the most part, the construction of Terena houses follows a pattern similar to the traditional one, with palm-tree-trunk or adobe-brick walls and thatched roofs; a few houses are of masonry. Houses generally have a living room and a bedroom; the kitchen may be inside the house or separate, in a contiguous shed. The toilet, not always extant, is some 10 meters away from the house. A few villages have electricity and running water, supplied by artesian or semiartesian wells.