April 5, 2022

09:04

Yusseff Abrahim – Cenarium Magazine

BRASILIA – The arrival of indigenous representatives from all over the country has colored the Cultural Complex of Funarte, in Brasilia, throughout the day, on Monday, 4. The Acampamento Terra Livre (ATL) is expected to gather between 7 and 8 thousand indigenous people, according to the national coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib), Sonia Guajajara.

“This indigenous presence in Brasilia is very important, we make a stand and when they look at us, there’s no way, right? Our presence makes a lot of difference. That is why every year we are working here so that the camp grows more and more”, said the indigenous leader.

Over the 18 years of the event, Sonia recalled that the union and mobilization of native peoples in Brasilia has already been responsible for victories in important disputes.

“There are several moments in which we came here and managed to prevent violence, such as the PEC 215, which gained worldwide repercussion, at a time when it seemed there was no way out, we came here with the indigenous presence, with rituals, with spirituality, and we managed to prevent its approval”, comments Sonia, regarding the Proposal for Constitutional Amendment (PEC) 215/2000, which delegated to the National Congress the exclusive right to demarcate indigenous and quilombola territories.

After two and a half days of traveling by bus from São Félix do Xingu, in Pará, Kubekakre Kayapó arrived in Brasília worried about the ongoing struggles. He is part of the ‘Beture’ collective of young filmmakers from the Mebêngôkre and Kayapó ethnic groups.

“We made a tiring trip, me and 94 other Kayapó, but we are here against PL 191 and also against the Temporal Framework so as not to end up with our land and our culture”.

Kubekakre referred to Bill (PL) 191/2020, which allows mining and gold mining on Indigenous Lands, whose trial will take place this Wednesday, 6, during the mobilization period. The Temporal Landmark thesis, which establishes that indigenous populations can only claim lands that they occupied on the date of the promulgation of the 1988 Constitution, continues at the STF, with the case scheduled for June 23.

“We came to bring our demands, we want news for our people, which is the demarcation of our territory, the fight for life, for our survival, for our culture and to tell the people that we are alive. We don’t die, we are alive”, reiterates Ubiranan Pataxó, who also arrived today, coming from the south of Bahia.

After two years without a camp, due to the pandemic, Ubiranan pointed out the importance of the reunion with other ethnic groups and leaders for political disputes.

“This is not the time to stand still. It is time to wage war. When it touches our forest, our tribe, our law, and what affects us, we have to take possession and wage war”, says Pataxó.

Resistance is progress

The aggravation of the influence of economic interests in the conduction of politics, in all spheres of power, was object of criticism by the coordinator of the Indigenous Students Movement of the State of Amazonas, Vanda Witoto.

“Our indigenous movement, in Brazil, is in a defensive position to say no to all these processes of violence against our territories, against the forest, against our life. When the State attacks this territory, it attacks the life of these populations and the biodiversity that exists here on this planet”.

Despite the indigenous movement’s agendas being the same for decades, Vanda identifies the organized residence as a breakthrough.

“To realize the resistance of our people, for these five centuries, against all this destruction and withdrawal of rights is a great advance. And this ATL has as its theme ‘village politics’. It is very important for us, because we are left out of the decision making process and that is why these policies do not advance. That’s why we will be here discussing the importance of indigenous candidacies for the 2022 elections”, he says.

The Land Camp will continue until April 14th. Check out the schedule for Tuesday, April 5th:

10am | Plenary: #EmergencyIndigenous – Threats to territories

11am | Plenary: #AltaCongresso – Impacts of the Legislative and Launch of the Open Letter against the PL 191/2020 – Parliamentary Front

2 PM – 6 PM | Plenary: #EmergênciaIndígena Nossa Luta pela Vida: Impacts on the Executive, Demarcation and Public Policies