The Andirá-Marau Indigenous Land, located on the borders of the states of Amazonas and Pará, won the first Geographical Indication (GI) of origin granted to an indigenous people, due to two native products: warana (native guarana) and bread of warana (guarana stick).

The National Institute of Intellectual Property (INPI) recognized on Tuesday (20) the Andirá-Marau Indigenous Land as a Geographical Indication (IG), in the species Denomination of Origin, for the two products grown in the region.

Warana, as it is called by the Sateré-Mawé, or native guarana, has unique characteristics due to the local biome and the “know-how” of the indigenous people with their own way of cultivating and obtaining the product.

“It was more than ten years of support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply in the process of structuring the geographical indication. In addition to being an extremely important recognition for the Sateré-Mawé indigenous people, for its history of domestication of the guaraná plant and unique production, which keeps culture, tradition and know-how, it is an achievement of the whole country. It is a 100% Brazilian product, reflecting the wealth of our people, our tradition and our biodiversity ', emphasizes the coordinator of Geographical Indication of Agricultural Products of the Map, Débora Gomide Santiago.

The Map acted in at least four aspects in the process of structuring the geographical indication: identification of the region's potentials, hiring consultants, in partnership with FAO, to develop awareness-raising actions, issuing an official instrument to delimit the area and provided support indigenous people in relation to the application for registration with the INPI.

Representative of the Sateré-Mawé Producers Consortium (CPSM), Obadias Batista Garcia, points out that guarana is very important for the people of Sateré-Mawé. “For us, guarana is a word that means the principle of wisdom, it is our culture and education. The wisdom and recognition of how to be a great leader is passed on through guaraná over generations. It is in guaraná that all the knowledge of the Sateré-Mawé people is, ”says Garcia.

The cultivation of native guarana is handcrafted by producers, who dehydrate and smoke the grains resulting in the guarana stick with unique color, aroma, flavor and consistency. In addition, guaranazais cannot be reproduced by cloning in the defined region. According to the INPI, the method adopted by the Sateré-Mawé "guarantees the conservation and genetic adaptation of guaraná in its natural environment, with the Andirá-Marau Indigenous Land being the only existing in situ genetic bank of guaraná in the world".

Brazilian Geographical Indications

The Geographical Indication (GI) serves to point out the geographical origin for a product or service. It is given to products or services that are characteristic of their place of origin, which have intrinsic value, their own identity, which distinguishes them from similar ones available on the market.

With this, IG helps to combat the usurpation and misuse of the name by non-legitimate third parties and can contribute to adding economic value to the good or service. Only producers and service providers established in the respective territory, usually representative entities, can use the IG.

Brazil has 72 registered National Geographical Indications (IGs), 58 of which are Indication of Origin (IP) and 14 as Denomination of Origin (DO).

In the North Region, there are eight registered IGs, the Andirá-Marau Indigenous Land being the region's first denomination of origin.

The other IGs were registered in the Indication of Origin modality. They are: Jalapão do Tocantins Region, for handicraft in golden grass; Rio Negro, for ornamental fish; Cruzeiro do Sul, for manioc flour; Maués, for guarana; Tomé-Açu, for cocoa; Uarini, for manioc flour; and Novo Remanso, for pineapple.