News-Letter Nr. 426
Farmers arm themselves against the Pataxó and ambush them
Farmers in the Porto Seguro region met in the rural area of Eunápolis, in the south tip of the state of Bahia, and decided to hire and arm thugs against the Pataxó. One week ago, the Pataxó occupied two farms that encroach upon the Corumbazinho indigenous area, close to the borders of the Pascoal Mount. The first occupation action, on August 24, took place where five agriculture/livestock farms registered in the name of farmer Tassizo Carletto are located. The second action, on the following day, took place where the Mirante farm is now located. Together, these farms cover about 3,288 hectares. On August 25, businessman Djalma Galão authorized the armed group to set up an operational base in his farm, only six kilometers away from where the indigenous people are. The Pataxó reported this fact to the Attorney General of Ilhéus, Márcio Torres. They also reported to him that they had been ambushed by those men.
The Pataxó reported that they were walking on a trail that crosses the Pascoal Mount and the Boa União farm, where they are camped, when, to their utmost surprise, four men began to shoot at them. On the 29th, two other armed men where seen walking around the Mirante farm, but they left when they noticed that a group of indigenous people were watching them.
The Pataxó want the Working Group that is studying the bounds of the Pascoal Mount and surrounding areas to resume its activities. The work of the Group was interrupted in April for lack of funds. Funai's administrator in Eunápolis, Tomás Volnei, said that the agency will not take any measures in this connection. "The administrator is trying to persuade indigenous people to accept a proposal to have their land reduced by 50% before the studies of the Working Group are completed," Pataxó leader Joel Brás reports. In a document delivered to attorney general Márcio Torres, the Pataxó say that "the reoccupation of indigenous areas constitutes a direct response to what Funai is doing, since it is clearly inclined to support invaders, discriminates against indigenous people, and pretends that nothing is happening. It is also the only means to prevent the destruction of the Atlantic forest by farmers, who have been deforesting the areas they know they might be forced to leave and selling all the timber they can find in them."
Higher Court of Justice (STJ) suspends demarcation of Kayapó indigenous area
The municipality of Novo Progresso was awarded a temporary restraining order in an action for a Court Injunction that suspended the effects of Decision n. 60 of the minister of Justice, José Gregori, which determined that Funai was to demarcate the Baú indigenous land, which belongs to the Kayapó indigenous people, as a 1,850,000-hectare area. The decision of minister Gregori annulled a former decision issued by ex-minister of Justice Nelson Jobim, according to which the area would be reduced by 450,000 hectares. The temporary restraining order was issued on August 22 by associate justice José Delgado of the Higher Court of Justice (STJ). On July 29, 19 fishermen who had invaded the indigenous area were held as hostages by the Kayapó for six days. For a long time, the Kayapó have been reporting invasions of this kind. The hostages were released after a promise was made that their area would be demarcated, which resulted in Decision n. 60. The decision of the STJ may lead to conflicts in the region.
The preposterous aspect of this situation is that the existence of a municipality does not invalidate the demarcation of an indigenous area. The Baú area is not the only one facing a situation of this kind. There are cases in Brazil where a demarcated area comprises one or more cities. The decision of the STJ favors only rich and powerful invaders of indigenous areas who resist the idea of seeing the rights of indigenous people being ensured.
Brasília, 31 August 2000.Indianist Missionary Council - Cimi
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