News-Letter Nr. 456

Indigenous Peoples Gather in Assembly One Year After Indigenous March and Conference

One year after the Conference of Indigenous Peoples and Organizations held in Santa Cruz de Cabrália, Bahia, indigenous representatives will gather in an Assembly in Luziânia, Goiás, on April 16-19. The purpose of the meeting is to analyze the advances made by the indigenous movement, based on the decisions contained in the final document drawn up at the Conference, and to report on the status of the Statute of the Indigenous Peoples and the situation regarding the appeal for financial indemnity from the federal government for physical and moral damages as a result of police repression at the Indigenous Conference held on 22 April last year. The last day of the assembly will be marked by a demonstration in Brasília, starting out in the Praça do Compromisso, scene of the murder of the Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãe Galdino Jesus dos Santos, and proceeding as far as the National Congress.

The indigenous committee organizing the event expects that 200 indigenous leaders will attend the assembly, which will discuss proposals for the Statute of the Indigenous Peoples now being debated in the National Congress, and present its own project. Last December, Federal Representative Luciano Pizzato (Liberal Front Party - state of Paraná) presented an amended text for Bill 2,057/91 (Statute of the Indigenous Peoples), as a "consolidation of proposals of indigenous peoples" resulting from his visits to some regions. The indigenous peoples have reacted, claiming that they do not feel represented by the proposal presented by the representative and demanding that the proposal not be put to a vote. Funai has also disagreed with the proposal presented by Representative Pizzato and has offered its own project, which is being studied by the indigenous peoples.

On the morning of April 19, the indigenous demonstration is to start at the Praça do Compromisso in remembrance of the murder of the Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãe Galdino Jesus dos Santos and in homage to all the indigenous leaders who have died in the struggle for land. The leaders will then continue marching towards the National Congress, where they are to attend a special plenary session in the House of Representatives. The afternoon program will include the launching of the memorial book on the Indigenous March that traveled over the whole country, in addition to the Indigenous Conference and the Post-Conference and a debate on the Statute of the Indigenous Peoples at the Nereu Ramos Auditorium with the participation of members of parliament and representatives of social movements. At another ceremony in the Planalto Palace, indigenous leaders will deliver 8,000 postcards collected in Holland on behalf of demarcation of indigenous lands.

Seminar in Bahia

The "Brasil Outros 500" Movement of Indigenous, Black and Popular Resistance has chosen the city of Porto Seguro as the venue to analyze the consequences of the occurrences of April 22 of last year. The Seminar "500 years - one year later", programmed for 21-22 April, is sponsored by the National Council of Black Entities (Conen), Cimi, the Integrated Workers' Trade Union (CUT), the Union of Popular Movements (CMP), the National Union of Students (UNE), the Workers' Party (PT), the Communist Party of Brazil (PC do B) and the Socialist Party of the Unified Workers (PSTU).

Representatives of indigenous and black communities, rural and urban workers, political parties and allies will attend the meeting to assess the political and social situation of the country after the police repression of indigenous and black communities on April 22 of last year.

Brasília, 11 April 2001.
Indianist Missionary Council - Cimi

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