Law No. 904/81 was enacted in the Chambers of the National Congress on December 10, 1981. Its purpose is the social and cultural preservation of indigenous communities, the defense of their heritage and traditions, the improvement of their economic conditions, their effective participation in the national development process, and their access to a legal framework that guarantees them land ownership and other productive resources with equal rights to other citizens.

Subsequently, in 1996, Law No. 919/96, and in 2003, Law No. 2.199/03, amended several articles of Law No. 904/81, the Statute of Indigenous Communities.