The state of Paraná is one of the states with the widest ethnic variety in Brazil. Germans, Poles, Ukrainians, Italians and Japanese are some of the ethnic groups that helped in building the Paraná of today. The ethnic groups that settled the State have brought along with them their culture, customs and traditions. The immigrants arrived with the promise of finding peace in an “unknown land”, but one that promised them work, land, production and tranquility.
The massive settlement only started after the prohibition of the slave traffic, which increased the need for laborers to work in the coffee farms, mainly in the North of the State. This non paid labor came to be the best alternative for the development of cattle breeding, which was until then the main culture in Paraná, and of the coffee plantations. Starting in 1850, at the time when Paraná ceased to be a province of the State of São Paulo, the local Government began a campaign to attract new immigrants. As a result of that campaign, approximately 20 mil immigrants came to the State between 1853 and 1886. Each of the ethnic groups that came to Paraná settled in colonies located in regions throughout the State.

Germans – Germans were the first to arrive in Paraná in 1829 and settled in Rio Negro. Nevertheless, the largest number of immigrants originating from Germany arrived in the State during the period between the world wars because they were fleeing from the horrors of those conflicts. This people brought to Paraná all the activities they were familiar with, among them pottery, furniture making, carpentry, etc. As cities prospered, the immigrants started to also perform commercial and industrial activities. Nowadays, the largest German settlement is in the municipality of Marechal Cândido Rondon, which still keeps on the faces of its buildings and in the faces of its inhabitants the distinctive characteristics of the settlement. Germans are also found in Rolândia, Cambé and Rio Negro and most of them came to Paraná from Santa Catarina.

Arabs – Paranaguá was the first place Arabs settled in Parana. Later on, they spread to Curitiba, Araucária, Lapa, Ponta Grossa, Guarapuava, Serro Azul, Londrina, Maringá and Foz do Iguaçu, which boasts the largest Arab settlement in the State today. In Curitiba, Arabs started to arrive in largest numbers after World War Two, when they comprised almost 10% of the population. One of the biggest Arab influences in the State is in gastronomy, where their spices and seasonings were incorporated into the local cuisine, aside from kibes and sfihas that are favored by the local population until this date. Arab immigrants to Parana were active mainly in literary production, architecture, music and dance.

Spaniards – The first Spanish immigrants to arrive in Paraná settled in the municipalities of Jacarezinho, Santo Antônio da Platina and Wensceslau Brás. Between 1942 and 1952, Spanish immigration accelerated and new municipalities, mainly in the region of Londrina, were formed by those immigrants. Spaniards were mainly active in commercial activities, handcrafts and furniture making.

Dutch – The first Dutch immigrants arrived in Paraná in 1909 and settled in a community near Irati. Although, some of those families ended up returning to Holland, others moved to a region in the Campos Gerais where they founded the Dutch Dairy Cooperative in 1925. This Cooperative was paramount in the consolidation of the Carambei settlement. Castrolandia is the most recent Dutch settlement in the region.

Indians – At the time of the discovery of Brazil, in 1500, Indian tribes that were scattered throughout the territory inhabited the country. In Paraná, the primitive inhabitants were also Indians that were part of large groups or tribes, the Jê or Tapuia and the great Tupi-Guarani nation. The Carijó and Tupiniquim inhabited the coast; the Tingüí lived in the region where Curitiba is located today; the Camé inhabited the region where the Palmas municipality is situated and the Caigangue and Botocudo lived in the hinterland. The first travel paths in Paraná were made by the Indians and were used by the Bandeirantes (explorers) in their exploration sorties into the territory: The Peaberu Path, the Graciosa Path, the Itupava Path and the Mata road.

Italians – Without a doubt, Italians were the first in the ranking of Brazilian immigrations. In Paraná, they contributed much by working in the coffee plantations and later, in other cultures. Those immigrants concentrated mainly in the capital city Curitiba, in Morretes, in the coast and in the cities of Palmeira and Lapa, where the Santa Cecilia anarchist settlement was located. Italians also contributed to industry and to the birth of labor and cultural associations.

Japanese – Japanese immigrants settled in the Norte Pioneiro (Pioneering North) and brought their agriculture tradition. Nevertheless, since they ignored agriculture techniques related to tropical cultures, they dedicated themselves to fish breeding, horticulture and fruit culture in the regional economy. Some of the products introduced in the State by the Japanese were the kaki and the silkworm. Maringá and Londrina are the cities in the State that have the largest concentration of Japanese. The municipalities of Uraí and Assaí were born as a result of Japanese settlements.

Blacks –The traditional population of the State of Paraná or the one in the mate (a tea plant used for a traditional beverage) and the wood extraction industries and for plantations was heterogeneous and it was composed of the same elements that comprised the population in other Brazilian regions: Indians, Europeans, Blacks and their half breeds. Therefore, a society that was also impacted by slavery and in which the economic and social participation of Black slaves was significant. In the first half of the 19th century, the relative number of blacks was 40% of the total population in the Province. In Curitiba, even though they worked mostly as household workers, black slaves were also important in the cultural scene of the city and they used to show their musical talents by participating in singing presentations on the municipal market plaza.

Poles – Polish immigrants arrived in Paraná around 1871 and settled in São Mateus do Sul, Rio Claro, Mallet, Cruz Machado, Ivaí, Reserva and Irati. In Curitiba, they founded various settlements that are the Candida and Abranches neighborhoods today. This people helped in spreading the use of the plow and of the mobile beam horse carriage. They worked in agriculture and helped in boosting the production of the State.

Portuguese – In Paraná and starting in the early 19th century, large waves of Portuguese immigrants lured by the coffee boom in the New North of Paraná settled in the axis between Londrina, Maringá, Campo Mourão, as far as Umuarama. Most of those immigrants came from Beiras (Upper and Lower), Minho, and Trás-os-Montes.
The city of Paranaguá was, and still is, the city in Paraná that shows the most distinctive features of the Portuguese culture and heritage. That city was the entry port for Portuguese immigrants and kept some of the characteristic features of that heritage.

Ukrainians – Ukrainians arrived in Paraná between 1895 and 1897. Over 20 thousand immigrants came to the State and settled mainly in Prudentópolis and Mallet. This ethnic group can also be found in the municipalities of União da Vitória, Roncador and Pato Branco. Nowadays, the State of Paraná is home to most of the Ukrainians that live in Brazil: 350 thousand out of the 400 thousand immigrants and their descendents.