News-Letter  Nr. 398

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES: A SCENARIO OF STRUGGLES

There is no celebrating for the indigenous movement today. Almost five centuries after the beginning of Brazilian colonization, indigenous peoples and communities throughout the country face all sorts of violence in the ongoing struggle for their rights and for demarcated and legally defined territories free from encroachment. The actions are growing through the re-occupation of lands, roadblocks, and campaigns demanding that the demarcation processes be more expedient, so as to put an end to the state of violence.

In the state of Pernambuco, the Xukuru are still camped on the PE-219 highway with the support of a significant portion of the Pesqueira population, which has been maintaining the supply of free water drawn from the reservoir located on indigenous land and also ensuring the free circulation of milk trucks and settlers. On Friday, the eleventh, the water truck drivers took their trucks to the town of Pesqueira and showed their support for the Xukuru along with the popular and artistic movement.

The Federal Attorney General went on site to hear reports provided by indigenous people of illegal sales of indigenous lands and threats of violence stemming from the roadblock. The farmers occupying the lands have already attempted to open up the road through legal channels, but the indigenous inhabitants refuse to leave until compensations are paid to bona fide occupants and the invaders of the 27,555-hectare area are removed.

Concerned about the possibility of more violence in the region, Amnesty International decided to launch a campaign aimed at the authorities, in which they request protection for Chief Marcos Luidson de Araújo and Zenilda Araújo, son and widow of Chief Francisco Assis Araújo, (Xicão Xukuru), assassinated in May of 1998.

In the state of Roraima, the Mucuxi, Wapixana, Taurepang, and Ingarikó reactivated the roadblock on the road leading to the Soco, µgua Fria, and Mutum mining villages as well as to the municipality of Uiramutã, all of which are located within the Raposa/Serra do Sol indigenous land. The roadblock had been set up in front of the Pedra Branca village starting in January but was suspended during the Roraima Indigenous Council Assembly (CIR), held on February 1-4, also the period of the festival for the Uiramutã patron saint. The roadblock was once again established following the assassination of a Tuxaua from the Soco village, Vitor Simão da Silva, by his own 17-year-old nephew, who was drunk. The teenager had bought the alcohol from a bar owner who obtained his liquor license from the local authority. The sale of alcohol to Indians is prohibited by the Indigenous Statute.

The roadblock enabled CIR to restrict the entry and consumption of alcoholic beverages in the villages, while also controlling tourist and politicians access. The entry of fuel and other materials used in illegal mining were also restricted. The Tuxauas denounced the presence of at least 6 barges extracting minerals at the headwaters of the Kinô River.

In the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, the Guarani and Kaiová, who were expelled from the Potrero Guasu Tekoha (traditional land), are slowly returning to rebuild their devastated land. They informed the authorities of gun shots fired at night that were meant to intimidate them. The farmers pressed to put an end to the demarcation procedures and were thus able to ensure the participation of one representative in the Permanent Working Group studying the extension of indigenous lands within the State.

In southern Bahia, the military police continued its irregular occupation of the Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãe Indigenous Land, keeping the indigenous inhabitants besieged in their own land since November of last year. According to the local press, the military police have almost concluded the inquiry into the death of two military personnel on November 16th, pointing to the Indigenous inhabitants as main suspects. The Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãe have denounced the abuse of authority by the military personnel, who search and control the people entering the area as well as seizing indigenous fishing gear.

This week, a group of civil, religious, union, and progressive parliamentary bodies launched a manifesto in support of the indigenous people requesting that the military police be withdrawn immediately and that the Federal Government adopt administrative measures to protect the indigenous people and their lands and belongings. They also requested a decision by the Supreme Federal Tribunal on the judgement of the Suit for the Annulment of Deeds for the annulment of land claims made by 396 invaders throughout the 54 thousand hectares to which the Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãe are legally entitled.

In the southern tip of the State, the Pataxó have suffer political pressures from the Federal Government, which wishes to see them leave Monte Pascoal, reoccupied ever since August 19th, 1999. Thus, the Federal Government intends to free up the land for the "discovery celebrations". The Administration of the Monte Pascoal National Park proposed an agreement and delivered it to the communities last week. In this proposal, the Federal Government "conceded" to allow the "partnership" with the indigenous people in a certain "Provisional Council" for managing the Park, as long as they are accompanied by representatives of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment, Natural Resources, and Water Resources (IBAMA), FUNAI, local authorities from three neighboring towns, the Ministry of the Environment, and civil society organizations.

The agreement is an affront to the indigenous peoples, since it does not acknowledge their right to the demarcation of Monte Pascoal as indigenous territory. In order to convince them more quickly, the proposal alluded to the possibility of disbursing more financial resources for "development projects". It also ensures the reinstatement of the Working Group (suspended last year), which sets up the land and anthropological survey aiming to prove that Monte Pascoal is Pataxó land. The agreement proposed this week was presented in August, 1999 by the Director of Funai Land Affairs at the time, µureo Faleiros. The difference is that Faleiros demanded the departure of the indigenous inhabitants as a condition for negotiation.

Cimi is fully aware that the indigenous peoples throughout the regions are certain that only their actions will ensure the conquest of their lands. No celebration can hide this fact. This country's history is not merely five hundred years old. What began 500 years ago was the resistance.

Brasília, 17 February 2000.
Indianist Missionary Council - Cimi





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