Geraizeiro

Geraizeiro is the traditional inhabitant of the cerrados of northern Minas Gerais state, in the Southeast region of Brazil.

Etymology
This term derives from the fact that in the north of this state and in the cerrado regions they are known as Gerais.

Recognition
In 2007, the traditional peoples, among them the geraizeiro, were recognized by the Government of Brazil, which through the National Policy for the Sustainable Development of these Communities (PNPCT), expanded the recognition partially made in the 1988 Constitution, adding to the indigenous, quilombolas and other traditional peoples.

Commemoration
Since 2011, it is celebrated annually on December 8 (day of the Catholic liturgical feast Immaculate Conception of Our Lady) the Day of the Gerais, with celebration in the municipality of Matias Cardoso, founded by the bandeirantes of São Paulo Januário Almeida and his son, Matias Cardoso de Almeida. The date was the initiative of state representative Paulo Guedes (not the minister). The date was chosen because it is the day of the patron saint of the municipal parish church, built in 1664.