Waimiri-Atroari - Settlements

In the past the Waimiri-Atroari lived in dispersed villages, usually in one round or oval communal house of up to 18 or 20 meters in diameter, with two doors, and divided spatially by posts into areas for families. These traditional houses were of palm leaves. Today the Waimiri-Atroari live in settlements managed by the Waimiri-Atroari Program/FUNAI/ELETRONORTE. These settlements are located near the FUNAI Indian posts or at localities with easy access to them. The Paranapanema Mining Company constructed two concrete houses for the principal captain and his brother. ELETRONORTE supervised the construction of a communal house with a concrete base for one of the groups transferred in consequence of the flooding caused by the dam. Some settlements were built, under FUNAI supervision, with small houses for individual families.