Before the Spanish and Portugese explorers set foot on land in South America hundreds of years ago, there were over 1,000 separate tribes or nations of Native South Americans living in Brazil alone.

This population included upwards of 13,000,000 people or more.

In the 21st century, there are less than 400,000 left.

As reported by Survival International, the major native nations of indigenous Brazilian people have been reduced to the following list:

• Awa
• Guarani - about 80,000 and the largest group in Brazil as well as elsewhere on the continent.
• Yanomami
• Makuxi
• Kanamari
• Kaxinawa
• Maku
• Matis (not Metis) - Their magic animal is the Jaguar and they use Curare as a weapon - a paralyzing drug.
• Tenharim
• Tikuna
• Tukano
• Waimiri-Atroari

According to the Brazilian government, at least 50 tribes of native Brazilians have never met a Caucasian.

Paraguay's original native peoples are thought to have been divided into at least 17 different tribal groups.

This represented only six separate language families, meaning that many of these tribes were related in subgroups of 2-3 or more.

The Brazilian 1,000 tribes likely mixed with Paraquay and Uruguay peoples as well, espeically after the oncoming influx of Spanish and Portugese explorers and settlers.

Only 1 Tribe, but a Strong One

The sole people living of Uruguay before the European (Spanish and Portugese) settlers advanced into the land were of a single tribe.

This tribe is known as the Charrua Indians, a small nation of indigenous people that had been driven south by another tribe, the Guarani Indians of Paraguay and Brazil, and likely the northwestern part of the continent abutting uruguay, since the Guarani were widespread in territory. The Charruan language is related to other nations: the Yaró, Guenoa, Bohane, and Minuan.

The Charrua were determined to keep their land in Uruguay and not to be displaced again.

The Spanish advanced into Uruguay in the early 16^th century, but the Charrua resisted relocation and they possessed no treasures - no gold or silver, so the Spanish coexisted with them.

These Europeans introduced them to cattle as well and the Spanish kept the Portuguese in Brazil, so the Charrua may have been saved from destruction that would result by additional settlers advancing.