Demographic studies on Indians from Santa Catarina, Brazil

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Abstract
The Indian populations of the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil, are found in two places, Duque de Caxias and Xapecó. In the former live Aweikoma (possibly a Caingang subgroup), Caingang and Guarani; in the latter, Caingang and Guarani. The Aweikoma intercross freely with the Caingang, and the Aweikoma/Caingang group thus formed can be compared with the Caingang of Xapecó. The Guarani, on the other hand, are reproductively isolated from both populations. The Aweikoma/Caingang of Duque de Caxias and the Caingang of Xapecó differ from each other in characteristics related to racial composition (degree and amount of non-Indian genes), gene flow, average age of mothers and frequency of stillbirths. On the other hand, they show similarities in a series of demographic variables related to fertility, mortality and inbreeding levels. The index of total selection intensity is practically the same in the two localities.