April 19, 2022

15:04

Iury Lima – Cenarium Magazine

VILHENA (RO) – “This is the moment when the doors of our villages will be open to the entire population; an integration of societies”. It was with these words – betting on an inspiring speech, in order to disarm old prejudices – that the president of the organizing committee of the 2nd Naraikosar Julio Paiter Suruí Indigenous Soccer Society Championship, Celso Lamitxab Suruí, categorized the charge brought by the event to the population of Rondônia and the example to be mirrored throughout Brazil. The opening ceremony is scheduled for this Tuesday 19th, in the Joaquim Village, located 37 kilometers from Cacoal, in the countryside of Rondônia; one of the 28 communities comprising the Sete de Setembro Indigenous Land (TI). 

In charge of the emblematic sporting event for the traditional peoples of the state, Celso Surui guarantees that there will be no discrimination against anyone, “whoever they may be”. “Whoever is curious about watching the games can come: indigenous people from other ethnic groups and even non-indigenous people. Whoever lives here in our region, in the rural area, in the municipality of Cacoal, and even in other cities,” he emphasized, in an interview with CENARIUM. 

With the return of the tournament, which was paused for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the organization expects an audience of more than 1,000 spectators. Admission is free.

The games

The event will be almost three months long, with 12 games every weekend. All will take place between eight different villages of the Paiter Suruí people. In all, 26 indigenous teams are already confirmed, 19 of them male and seven composed entirely of women. “This is another positive point: the integration and appreciation of women in sports,” points out Lamitxab Suruí. 

The championship is a tribute to Naraikosar Júlio Suruí; hence the name of the sports event. Júlio, who was a great promoter of sports in the villages, passed away a little over three years ago, victim of complications from a surgery. His death caused great commotion among the “relatives”, as they affectionately call themselves. A sad fact that occurred a few months before the start of the first edition of the event idealized by the young leader. Even so, the legacy went on, through his people, starting the following year, in 2019.

“Since I was his vice president, I took on that responsibility. He was a great advocate for the sport and we carry on with that mission. On the other hand, this is very sad, but that’s life. The most important thing is to keep the sport alive and honor him,” said the current president of the organizing committee.

United by sport

The Paiter Suruí form a population of almost 2 thousand individuals living in a territory of approximately 250 thousand hectares. According to Celso, for them, the championship is a question of health. For those who come from outside, it is a chance to meet, reflect and learn about respect. 

“One of the positive points that we, Indigenous Peoples, see as a result of the sport is the union. The union among all of us, among the leaders, among the communities, among the children (…) even when we hold this event, all of our 28 villages raise their expectations to the maximum by participating. It is union and interaction to watch the games, besides the possibility of building new friendships. It’s good for us and for the athletes. It’s good for our physical and mental health”, he detailed.

According to the indigenous leader, “the presence of people from outside is very important”, because, as he himself says, “many of them see the indigenous people in a different, prejudiced way”. “Therefore, this is the ideal moment for them to come to our village, watch this sporting event, and get to know our reality,” added Surui.

He confirms: “We chose April 19th, the Indigenous Peoples’ Day, precisely to promote integration with society. I hope that people will come today, because it will be a great day for us”, he added.

Post-pandemic’ championship

It is a fact that the health emergency caused by Sars-Cov-2 is not yet completely over around the planet, but another expectation is to ‘get the guys’ together on the field – and around it – for the championship.

“Right today [Monday, 18], all the villagers are getting ready, doing the body paintings. Even the children are painting themselves with our traditional paint. It is not just a party. It is the meaning of joy and harmony. It will bring peace in the hearts of the whole community.

Championship Awards

For now, the awards are symbolic: trophies and medals. Celso reveals that the only support for the execution of the championship came from the Cacoal Municipal Sports Authority (Amec). The folder will also provide teams of referees to ‘referee’ the games, as well as materials such as balls and teams of servers to assist in the activities.

“We wanted to give cash awards, but we haven’t yet found a person or a company that could donate. We are still looking for someone who can support us with the awards,” revealed Celso Lamitxab Suruí.

“In any case, this championship is moving the indigenous communities and the municipality of Cacoal itself, generating local benefits,” he concluded.