Dutch Brazilian - The Second Wave

The Second Wave

The first Dutch immigrants to Brazil went to the state of Espírito Santo between 1858 and 1862, where they established the settlement of Holanda. This settlement of five hundred mainly Reformed folk from West Zeeuws-Vlaanderen in the province of Zeeland was not successful. All further immigration ceased and contacts with the homeland withered. The "lost settlement" was only rediscovered after one hundred and ten years, in 1973. Except for the Zeelanders in Holanda, Brazil attracted few Dutch until after 1900. From 1906 through 1913 over 3,500 Dutch emigrated there, mainly in 1908-1909.

After the Second World War, the Dutch Organization of Catholic Farmers and Vegetable Growers (KNBTB) coordinated a new flow of Dutch immigrants in search for a new life and new opportunities in Brazil. The most known Dutch settlements in Brazil are Holambra I and Holambra II (because they became leading producers of flowers), but other settlements were established as well, and in time these small villages became cities. Alongside Holambra I and II, the main settlements are:

• Alto Garças (Mato Grosso - 1972);
• Arapoti (Paraná - 1960);
• Brasolândia (Minas Gerais - 1985);
• Castrolândia (Paraná - 1951);
• Gonçalves Júnior (Paraná - 1889);
• Itiquera (Mato Grosso - 1972);
• Maracaju (Mato Grosso do Sul - 1972);
• Monte Alegre (Paraná - 1949);
• Não-Me-Toque (Rio Grande do Sul - 1949);
• Paracatu (Minas Gerais - 1972);
• Rio Verde (Goiás - 1985);
• Tijuquinhas (Santa Catarina - 1950);
• Tronco (Paraná - 1953);

Also arrived after Second World War were Eurasian refugees of mixed Indonesian and Dutch blood called Indos. These Indos traveled to Brazil because the Dutch society did not consider their war experience in Indonesia, and did not recognize the European status the Indos held dearly in their mother country. The number of Indos in Brazil was never counted because they are a part of the overall Dutch-Brazilian population.