The Arara are an indigenous people of Brazil native to the state of Rondônia. They are closely related to the and Gavião peoples, and are distinct from other groups known as "Arara" to outsiders, including the Arara of Pará and the Kwaza. Their language is part of the Monde branch of the Tupian languages.[1]
The Arara were an uncontacted tribe until the 1950s. At the time, they were at war with the neighboring Gavião. Through the Gavião, the Brazilian government contacted the Arara and enforced a peace. Their numbers declined rapidly after contact; only 50 were alive in 1966. The New Tribes Mission introduced medical care, and the population rose to over 200 by the 1990s. The Mission formally converted most Arara to the Baptist faith, though the community largely retained their traditional beliefs.[1]
