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Supreme Courts suspends 'presumption of good faith' in gold market to curb illegal trafficking

Areas of illegal gold mining in the Yanomami Indigenous Land seen in an overflight along the Mucajaí river, February 2023.

Credit: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil

3 May 23

Supreme Courts suspends ‘presumption of good faith’ in gold market to curb illegal trafficking

The Federal Supreme Court (STF) unanimously suspended the legal provision that established the “presumption of good faith” in the gold market. This instrument allowed gold to be traded in Brazil only based on the sellers’ information about the origin of the product. The court decided to follow the individual decision issued by justice Gilmar Mendes on April 4th.

The measure was considered by the Court as one of the main legal loopholes for laundering gold extracted from indigenous lands and environmental reserves. It is expected that the decision will make illegal gold trafficking more difficult and protect the environment and indigenous people.

 

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Attack in Yanomami Indigenous Territory leaves one dead and two wounded; government promises to intensify action

Flight records illegal mining areas inside the Yanomami Indigenous Land, in Roraima, in April 2021.

Credit: Reproduction

1 May 23

Attack in Yanomami Indigenous Territory leaves one dead and two wounded; government promises to intensify action

An attack in the community of Uxiú on Yanomami indigenous land resulted in the death of a Yanomami health agent, in addition to leaving two other indigenous people injured. The Hutukura Yanomami Association (HAY) and the Texoli Ninam Association of the State of Roraima (Taner) said that the attack occurred during a funeral ceremony, and that it was allegedly carried out by illegal miners from a boat with six people on the Mucajaí river.

After the tragedy, the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA), Marina Silva, stated in a press conference that the actions in Yanomami territory will be intensified. According to the minister, between 75% and 80% of the miners have already been removed from the Yanomami Indigenous Territory, and several mines have been deactivated. However, the task is far from being completed. The actions will be reinforced with the support of the Armed Forces and with the reinforcement of teams from Ibama and the Federal Police (PF).

“We were very sad to learn of the shooting attack by miners against three Yanomami, one of whom died and the other two are being treated in a serious condition. An inter-ministerial committee is on its way to Roraima to further reinforce the actions to find the criminals,” said the Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara.

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Indigenous people were the main victims of conflicts in the rural region in 2022

Relatório da Comissão Pastoral da Terra mostra que o ano de 2022 foi marcado pelo elevado crescimento nos dados sobre violência contra a pessoa em decorrência de conflitos no campo.

Crédito: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil

17 Apr 23

Indigenous people were the main victims of conflicts in the rural region in 2022

Almost 40% of people killed in rural conflicts in 2022 were indigenous, according to the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT) in a report released on Monday (17). The year was marked by a significant increase in violence against individuals resulting from conflicts in rural areas. In all, 553 incidents were recorded, resulting in the deaths of 1,065 people, 50% more than in 2021 (368 incidents with 819 victims). Traditional peoples are the main victims in this scenario, which includes murders, assassination attempts, threats, assaults, torture and imprisonment.

In 2022, 38% of the 47 people killed in rural areas were indigenous people, totaling 18 cases. Next came landless workers (9), environmentalists (3), settlers (3), and wage workers (3). In addition, the deaths of indigenous rights activist Bruno Pereira and journalist Dom Phillips in Vale do Javari, Amazonas state, were added to the critical scenario of victims of rural conflicts in 2022. The number of murders resulting from rural conflicts last year represented an increase of 30.55% compared to 2021 (36 deaths) and 123% compared to the data recorded in 2020 (21 deaths).

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Pure Dynamite: Report produced by Observatório da Mineração and Smoke Signal reviews the explosive legacy of the Bolsonaro government's mining policy
27 Mar 23

Pure Dynamite: Report produced by Observatório da Mineração and Smoke Signal reviews the explosive legacy of the Bolsonaro government’s mining policy

To create memory and help elaborate on the tragedy of mineral policy under the Bolsonaro government, The Mining Observatory [Observatório da Mineração] and Smoke Signal [Sinal de Fumaça] have launched the bilingual reportPure Dynamite: how Bolsonaro’s Government (2019-2022) Mineral Policy Set Up a Climate and Anti-Indigenous Bomb” an independent production that brings a timeline of the mineral sector and details the dismantling of regulatory bodies, rights violations, scandalous agreements and other measures adopted by the former government to satisfy the mineral market lobby in the country and the world.

In its thorough and investigative work, Observatório da Mineração closely followed the work that Bolsonaro’s government undertook at the national and international levels to dismantle public policies and sell mining and metal goods. Investigations have shown that his administration promoted legal and infralegal changes that benefited large mining companies, caused the criminal networks of illegal mining to soar, and made institutions such as the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the National Mining Agency totally subservient to vested financial interests. Smoke Signal Socio-Environmental Monitor, which has recorded facts and movements related to Brazilian socio-environmental policies over the last four years, joined Observatório da Mineração to produce this unprecedented report.

In addition to exposing the sophisticated articulations made between the mining market lobby, transnational companies and the federal government behind closed doors in the National Congress, the publication also brings a brief summary of the first measures adopted by Lula’s government and a list with 20 initial suggestions for the recovery of public governance and the reduction of negative effects of mining in the country. 

Click here to read our report in english. Also available in portuguese.

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Angra 1 nuclear plant leaked waste in 2022 and Eletronuclear tried to hide the accident, says public prosecutor

Angra nuclear power plant

Credit: Marinelson Almeida/Traveling through Brazil

24 Mar 23

Angra 1 nuclear plant leaked waste in 2022 and Eletronuclear tried to hide the accident, says public prosecutor

Eletronuclear, a subsidiary of Eletrobras, Brazil’s electricity company, is facing a public civil suit after the Angra 1 nuclear plant in Angra dos Reis. in Rio de Janeiro state, leaked radioactive material into the sea in September 2022. About 90 liters of radioactive waste escaped from valves during a maintenance process and was carried by rain into Itaorna Bay.

Eletronuclear took three weeks to notify the regulatory agency about the incident, which happened on September 16. The company denied the leak in a statement, but the Federal Prosecutor’s Office believes that Eletronuclear tried to hide the incident. The Court ordered the company to publicly disclose information about the incident and the measures to contain the damage, and to make a full assessment of the damage within 30 days and not to conceal or manipulate information about what happened. It is not yet known whether the accident may cause harm to the environment and to the population.

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UOL

Bruno and Dom: Crime mastermind is suspect of having ordered public servant murder in 2019

The Temporary Commission on Crime in the Northern Region (CTENORTE), formed by congressmen and representatives of federal agencies, meets with leaders of the Union of Indigenous Peoples of Vale do Javari (Univaja). On the wall is a photo of British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenist Bruno Pereira.

Credit: Roberto Stuckert Filho/Gab. Senador Humberto Costa

21 Mar 23

Bruno and Dom: Crime mastermind is suspect of having ordered public servant murder in 2019

The Federal Police is investigating the possible participation of Ruben Dario da Silva Villar, known as Colombia, in the death of Maxciel Pereira dos Santos, a FUNAI [Brazilian indigenous peoples agency] employee, in Tabatinga (AM), in September 2019. He is already suspected of having been the mastermind of the deaths of British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenist Bruno Pereira, last year.

Investigations are trying to assess whether Colombia hired the gunmen to kill the FUNAI employee. The line of investigation is that they would have crossed the triple border with neighboring countries to commit the crime at the behest of Colombia. No suspects have yet been arrested for the crimes.

The investigation was reopened in September 2021, three months after Bruno and Dom’s deaths, and is under secrecy. The police team found several coincidences between the group accused of the double murder and the attack on Maxciel, who worked alongside Bruno in the fight against illegal fishing and mining in Vale do Javari in 2019. According to the. In the past, the police had suggested the archiving of the investigations, but the Federal Public Prosecutor was against it and the investigation was resumed after pressure from Maxciel’s relatives and the international repercussion of Bruno and Dom’s deaths.

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Yanomami Genocide: military refuses to fix 46 landing strips that would help indigenous rescues

De acordo com o relatório apresentado pela Funai, a vegetação alta nas cabeceiras de várias dessas pistas “compromete os procedimentos de pouso e decolagem”. Nas laterais, “dificulta os procedimentos de manobras durante a corrida da aeronave nas pistas.

Crédito: Reprodução

13 Mar 23

Yanomami Genocide: military refuses to fix 46 landing strips that would help indigenous rescues

A report prepared by FUNAI, Brazilian indigenous agency, pointed out that 46 landing strips on Yanomami lands in the Amazon region need maintenance to ensure transportation of the sick and emergency aid to those affected by illegal mining. However, military personnel responsible for the Army’s operation in the region refuse to carry out repairs.

According to the report published by Agência Pública, the military justifies their refusal by alleging that FUNAI did not correctly report the maintenance needs of the landing strips. Furthermore, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) has been pressuring the responsible authorities to resolve the impasse.

Meanwhile, President Lula traveled to Roraima to participate in an assembly of indigenous people and discuss actions to defend the rights of native peoples.

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More than 19,000 illegal gold miners have been removed from the Yanomami indigenous territory.

Illegal gold miner searches for gold at Uraricouera River, inside Yanomami territory

Credit: Bruno Kelly/Amazônia Real

8 Mar 23

More than 19,000 illegal gold miners have been removed from the Yanomami indigenous territory.

The temporary commission of the Brazilian Federal Senate to monitor the humanitarian crisis in Yanomami Indigenous Land approved its work plan last Wednesday (8/3). According to the rapporteur of the commission, Senator Dr. Hiran (Progressistas-RR), more than 19,000 gold miners have left the area since the eviction operation began last February. The president of IBAMA, Brazil’s environmental agency, Rodrigo Agostinho, also supports this: “We have removed almost 80%, 90% of the gold miners.”

The Senate commission also requested information on the funds released by the Amazon Fund and invited indigenous and environmental organizations for public hearings. Meanwhile, federal forces continue anti-gold mining actions and have already applied penalties of over R$10 million.

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Marina Silva visits base attacked by gold miners in Yanomami Land and cites 'immense degradation' in the territory

Ibama helicopters in operation against miners in Yanomami Land

Credit: G1

4 Mar 23

Marina Silva visits base attacked by gold miners in Yanomami Land and cites ‘immense degradation’ in the territory

The Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, visited Yanomami Land on Saturday (4) to see firsthand the actions implemented by IBAMA to curb illegal gold mining. She went to the inspection base in the Palimiú community, where armed gold miners fired at agents, and flew over regions invaded by the garimpeiros. She was astonished by what she saw in the territory: “The degradation is immeasurable,” she said.

Sources:

G1

Yanomami Genocide: Illegal gold scheme involves millionaire companies accused of environmental crime and money laundering in Pará state

Illegal gold miner searches for gold at Uraricouera River, inside Yanomami territory

Credit: Bruno Kelly/Amazônia Real

3 Mar 23

Yanomami Genocide: Illegal gold scheme involves millionaire companies accused of environmental crime and money laundering in Pará state

A joint investigation by the Federal Police and the Federal Public Prosecution revealed that financial institutions accused of environmental crimes in the Amazon and gold laundering in Pará state bought illegal Yanomami gold, according to a story in Reporter Brasil. Companies with million-dollar billings and headquarters in prime neighborhoods of the São Paulo capital are accused of participating in a scheme that may have legalized, in 2019 and 2020, more than 4 tons of illegal gold from several indigenous lands in the Amazon, according to the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office. Three of these intermediaries – Ourominas, FD’Gold and Carol – appear in the investigations into mining on Yanomami Indigenous Land.

As a result of these investigations, the Federal Police launched on Tuesday (February 28) “Operation Kukuanaland”, which aims to identify and dismantle a criminal organization dedicated to the illegal extraction of gold from indigenous reserves and federal conservation units, to its commercialization, export and money laundering.

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Government officials meets with indigenous leaders of the Javari Valley

Beatriz Matos, Bruno Pereira’s widow and at the head of the isolated people department at FUNAI, participates in the meeting,

Credit: Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil

1 Mar 23

Government officials meets with indigenous leaders of the Javari Valley

Representatives from different government agencies visited the Vale do Javari Indigenous Land in Amazonas state on Monday (27), in an action called by the Union of Indigenous Peoples of Vale do Javari (UNIVAJA) and grassroots organizations of the indigenous land. The committee was composed of representatives from the Ministries of Justice and Public Security, Indigenous Peoples, Human Rights, Health, the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI), the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), the Federal Police, the Federal Highway Police, the National Public Security Force, and the Federal Public Prosecution. Also present were three secretaries of the Amazonas government

The region, which is the second largest indigenous reserve in Brazil, suffers from the absence of the State and the presence of organized crime, besides having been the scene of a barbaric crime in June 2022, when the activist Bruno Pereira and the British journalist Dom Phillips were murdered.

During the visit, indigenous leaders delivered a letter with proposals for improvements in infrastructure, security, education and health in the region. The government task force will continue in the Javari Valley, visiting the Ituí Base, where isolated indigenous people live.

Bruno Pereira’s widow, Beatriz Matos, who has taken over the direction of the Department of Isolated Peoples in the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, and Dom Phillips’ widow, Alessandra Sampaio, also participated in the delegation and were moved when they took part – together with the minister of indigenous peoples, Sônia Guajajara and the president of FUNAI, Joenia Wapichana – in an indigenous ritual with the song that became famous in Bruno’s voice.

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Marina Silva wants to declare a climate emergency in risk areas; Lula and Tarcisio announce measures to aid São Paulo's coast

President Lula and the mayor of São Sebastião (SP) in the aftermath of the rains

Credit: Ricardo Stuckert/PR

24 Feb 23

Marina Silva wants to declare a climate emergency in risk areas; Lula and Tarcisio announce measures to aid São Paulo’s coast

In response to the largest storm ever recorded in Brazil on the northern coast of São Paulo state, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, and the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovations, Luciana Santos, proposed on Tuesday (21) to design an emergency plan to adapt to extreme weather events in 1,038 municipalities, which are home to 57% of the country’s population. The measure aims to facilitate access to resources for infrastructure works, such as slope containment and drainage, recovery of riparian forests, creation of civil defense and education plans for climate risk and resettlement of residents in vulnerable areas.

Before this, the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) had already announced on Monday (20) a series of actions to reduce the impacts on the population of the northern coast of São Paulo, victim of the lack of prevention and hit by the biggest storm in Brazil’s history.

Lula flew over areas devastated by landslides and flooding. He also met with the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos), and the mayor of São Sebastião, Felipe Augusto (PSDB), and made the federal government’s structure available to mitigate the damage. Several ministers participated in the audience, including the Minister of Ports and Airports, Márcio França (PSB), who announced R$ 2 million to the Government of São Paulo and the city halls of the northern coast cities, including Bertioga, can help the victims. Lula asked for total priority to the climate emergency, and articulated joint actions between the Ministries of Social Development, Finance, Planning, Transportation and Health. On the 21st, Lula’s government transferred R$ 7 million to São Sebastião municipalitie and the resources will be used to buy food baskets, cleaning kits, personal hygiene, mattresses and fuel. More than 73,8 thousand people will be assisted.

The São Paulo state government, for its part, announced on the 23rd that it will install sirens in the region, in places where there is risk of landslides and flooding. The emergency measure, however, is seen with caution by specialists. They say that the adoption of the equipment needs to occur in conjunction with a series of actions, such as training the population, developing escape routes and conducting recurrent drills.

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Extreme weather: record-breaking rains hit the coast of São Paulo and leave 65 dead and thousands homeless

Landslide at Barra do Sahy

Credit: Rovena Rosa/Agência Brasil

20 Feb 23

Extreme weather: record-breaking rains hit the coast of São Paulo and leave 65 dead and thousands homeless

On February 19th and 20th, an unprecedented amount of rainfall fell over Bertioga, São Sebastião, and Ubatuba in the Northern Coast of the state of São Paulo. Weather stations recorded 692 millimeters of rain from Saturday to Sunday. As of February 27th, 65 people were found dead, 64 in the Vila Sahy neighborhood in São Sebastião, and one in Ubatuba.

Fatal landslides occurred in impoverished areas of the coast, near hillside slopes. Roads were also closed due to landslides. According to the state government, there are 1,090 displaced people and 1,172 homeless.

In 2021, prosecutors filed a lawsuit calling for action regarding the situation in Vila Sahy and described it as an announced tragedy.

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Yanomami Genocide: Indigenous Association says Denarium was "accomplice" of the tragedy

Davi Kopenawa Yanomami is lifted at the center of the Xihopi village

Credit: Christian Braga/ISA

30 Jan 23

Yanomami Genocide: Indigenous Association says Denarium was “accomplice” of the tragedy

The Hutukara Yanomami Association, an organization that represents the Yanomami people, published a note in which it repudiates the words of the governor of the state of Roraima, Antonio Denarium (PP), about the indigenous people needing to “acculturate”. For the entity, Denarium has been “accomplice of the tragedy” and maintains a colonizer view.

“While the Yanomami people live one of the biggest crises in their history, which has been denounced in recent years by the Hutukara Yanomami Association, the governor Denarium not only denies reality, but argues that indigenous people “have to become acculturated, can no longer stay in the middle of the forest, looking like animals,” says the association.

“Our ways of life are denied to us as if we were primitive, incapable, inhuman. Far from being limited to political discourse, this thinking has been reflected in policies of genocidal tendency that have been systematically implemented in recent years to make it impossible for the Yanomami to maintain their lives,” states the association.

 

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Yanomami Genocide: Lula adminstration exonerates indigenous health managers and FUNAI head officers

Illegal gold diggers took over the Yanomami territory

Credit: Associação Hukerari Yanomami

24 Jan 23

Yanomami Genocide: Lula adminstration exonerates indigenous health managers and FUNAI head officers

At least 54 officers working in organs and instances related to health and assistance to the indigenous peoples were dismissed after the dimensions of the humanitarian crisis in the Yanomami Indigenous Land (TI) were revealed.

The federal government informed through an extra edition of the Official Gazette of the Union on Monday (23/01) the removal of 43 occupants of command positions of the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI) and 11 regional coordinators of the Secretariat of Indigenous Health (SESAI) of the Ministry of Health. Among the dismissed employees are 13 military personnel, the coordinator of the East health district of Roraima – responsible for reinforcing the assistance to the Yanomami people in the state -, Aurisan Souza de Santana and the director of the Museum of the Indian, Giovani Souza Filho. Replacements for these positions will be announced in the coming days.

Federal Police points that 'Colombia' was behind the murders of Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips

Police officer during the searches for Bruno and Dom

Credit: Cícero Pedrosa Neto/Amazônia Real

24 Jan 23

Federal Police points that ‘Colombia’ was behind the murders of Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips

Rubén Dario da Silva Villar, known as “Colombia”, was the mastermind of the murders of Brazilian indigenist Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips, occurred in June 2022 in Vale do Javari [Javari Valley], in Amazonas. The information was confirmed by the superintendent of the Federal Police in the state, Alexandre Fontes, on Monday (23).

According to investigations, “Colombia” had a direct relationship with Amarildo da Costa Oliveira, known as “Pelado”, who is in prison and confessed participation in the deaths of Bruno and Dom. Amarildo’s brother, Oseney, and Jefferson da Silva Lima, also were arrested on suspicion of the crime.

The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office denounced Amarildo, Oseney and Jefferson for the murder of the victims. According to the superintendent, Colombia should be indicted for the murder in the coming days.

“The motivation is illegal fishing in the Vale do Javari region. And the intellectual author, I have no doubt, is ‘Colombia’. He was also the one who supplied boats for the illegal fishing in the region,” explained the delegate.

The confirmation by the police of the direct involvement of Colombia, which had been pointed out by the Union of Indigenous Peoples of Vale do Javari (Univaja), brings relief to the families of Bruno and Dom, but much remains to be done to defeat the criminals in Javari, says the public note from the Observatory of Human Rights of Isolated Indigenous Peoples and of Recent Contact. “Other people may be involved in the killings, it is necessary to clarify the death of Maxciel Pereira and the involvement, by omission or action, of public servants, including military personnel,” says the note.

On Friday (20), the Federal Court in Amazonas rescheduled the first hearings of the process that investigates the murders of Bruno and Dom. The lawyer for the Union of Indigenous Peoples of Vale do Javari (Univaja), Eliésio Marubo, was dismayed by the postponement of the hearings. For him, the impasse “causes insecurity in the trial and gives the idea that the criminals are poor wretches unjustly treated by the judicial system. “Someone is making mistakes on purpose, because not even a trainee can make such errors,” said the indigenous lawyer.

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Yanomami Genocide: government declares public health emergency

Over 570 children died during Bolsonaro’s administration

Photo: Ricardo Stuckert/Palácio do Planalto

20 Jan 23

Yanomami Genocide: government declares public health emergency

After a visit by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sônia Guajajara, the Ministry of Health (MH) declared a public health emergency in Yanomami Indigenous Land. The region is being affected by health negligence, malaria and severe malnutrition. 

“It is very sad to know that indigenous people, especially 570 Yanomami children, have died of starvation during the last government. The Ministry of Indigenous Peoples will take urgent action to fight this humanitarian crisis imposed against our peoples,” said Sônia Guajajara.

Also present at the government visit, Health Minister Nísia Trindade, said that the Bolsonaro government was been “omissive” regarding health care for the Yanomami and blamed illegal gold mining for the state of calamity found. 

 

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Two young Pataxó indigenous individuals are murdered in Bahia

Shells found in the murder scene

Credit: Pataxó People

18 Jan 23

Two young Pataxó indigenous individuals are murdered in Bahia

The government of the state of Bahia confirmed that two indigenous Pataxó individuals were killed yesterday (17) in the extreme south of the state. According to preliminary information from the Civil Police, Samuel Cristiano do Amor Divino, 25, and Nawir Brito de Jesus, 17, were shot yesterday afternoon in Itabela. The region is home to the Barra Velha indigenous land, which is the site of intense conflicts with ranchers.

After the crime, the Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sônia Guajajara, said she requested the Ministry of Justice and Public Safety to send the National Force to the location. “Yesterday, we lost two young Pataxó due to conflict over land and struggle for demarcation. My first agenda of the day will be with indigenous leaders in the extreme south of Bahia. I will follow closely what has been happening in the region and I will request immediate action from the State,” he wrote.

In the last days of 2022, on December 27, another village in the same Indigenous Land, the Quero Ver, in the municipality of Prado, had been invaded by armed men. According to Brasil de Fato, the atmosphere in the region is of fear and mourning, but giving up is not an option for the community.

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Isolated Indigenous Lands among the most endangered areas in the Amazon, says Ipam new study

Indígenas isolados em aldeia localizada no estado brasileiro do Acre.

Gleilson Miranda / Governo do Acre

11 Jan 23

Isolated Indigenous Lands among the most endangered areas in the Amazon, says Ipam new study

The Indigenous Lands with presence of isolated groups (with little or no contact with outsiders) are the most threatened in the Amazon biome. The conclusion comes from a new study produced by Ipam (Amazon Environmental Research Institute) and Coiab (Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon).

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Sônia Guajajara takes office as Minister of Indigenous Peoples

O povo Terena executou a Dança da Ema na posse da ministra Sônia Guajajara no Palácio do Planalto, em Brasília

Crédito: Ana Pessoa/Mídia NINJA

11 Jan 23

Sônia Guajajara takes office as Minister of Indigenous Peoples

Sônia Guajajara became the first minister at the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples on Wednesday (11). She is also the first indigenous woman to occupy a ministry. The ceremony took place at the Planalto Palace, in Brasília. According to TV Cultura, the auditorium was packed to watch the event, with the presence of president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and other members of the government

Guajajara presented the ministry’s team, formed by Eloy Terena, Executive Secretary; Jozi Kaigang, Chief of Staff; Eunice Kerexu, Secretary of Environmental and Territorial Rights; Ceiça Pitaguary, Secretary of Environmental and Indigenous Territorial Management; Juma Xipaia, Secretary of Articulation and Promotion of Indigenous Rights; and Marcos Xucuru, Special Advisor to the MPI.

“I cannot fail to remember the relatives who were removed from our coexistence by the speech of the fascism that reigned in Brazil in recent years spilling without shame, much indigenous blood. Let us remember the strength of those who fell in the struggle like Paulino Guajajara Ivanilde, Janildo, Jael and Antônio Guajajara ali Uruê Auau, Daiane Gaingang, Estela Vera Guarani Carilar, Wellingto Ariane Oliveira and the girl Raissa. And so many other relatives victimized by illegal mining, by invasions of their territories. And by so many other actions and omissions of the State. Furthermore, I need to highlight the strength of Bruno Pereira and memories that all of our allies and allied defenders of the environment and human rights this brutal murder cannot remain unpunished”.

“If, before, demarcations were focused mainly on the preservation of our culture, new studies have been demonstrating that the maintenance of these areas has an even more comprehensive importance, being fundamental to the stability of ecosystems across the planet, ensuring quality of life, including in large cities. Hence the importance of recognizing the original rights of Indigenous Peoples over the lands where they live,” said Guajajara.

For Guajajara, the protection of biomes, resulting from the preservation of indigenous lands, conservation units and territories inhabited by traditional communities, is “essential” for any agricultural production. “It guarantees water, the presence of pollinating agents and many other factors without which nothing can be produced. Indigenous lands are important allies in the fight against global warming and fundamental for the preservation of our biodiversity,” he said.

The minister recalled that the Paris Agreement and the New York Declaration for Tropical Forests of the United Nations recognized the knowledge of traditional peoples and communities as scientific knowledge and as one of the “last alternatives to contain the climate crisis”. “It is necessary that this knowledge goes beyond international treaties, and be valued in practice, throughout the national territory, through local policies, considering the diversity of peoples, cultures, and territories,” she pointed out.

Minister Anielle Franco, of Racial Equality, also took office on Wednesday. The joint ceremony had several symbolic moments, marked by the sound of African culture and indigenous music. The National Anthem was sung partly in the Tikuna language by Djuena Tikuna, and partly in Portuguese by Marina Íris. The Terena people performed the Dança da Ema, or dança do Bate-pau, a ritualistic manifestation that consecrates great warriors.

According to Sônia Guajajara, one of the first measures she will take in charge of the ministry will be to move forward with the process of ratifying 13 indigenous lands that were already in the final stages of being recognized.Jota made a profile of all 37 ministers that are part of Lula’s government.

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