Protest by Brazil’s indigenous peoples: “We have never been as threatened as we are now”

With a protest camp in the capital, Brazil’s indigenous people are defending themselves against a railway line through the middle of the Amazon. In addition, legislative proposals and legal proceedings are challenging them for their territories.

With red Arara feathers on their heads, the indigenous Kayapós make their way to the stage of the protest camp. Collectively they stamp their feet and shout short, pressed sounds to the rhythm of the drums. So they march and dance past representatives of other tribes who watch from white plastic chairs, spellbound.

This protest dance by the Amazon residents from the state of Pará is one of the few moments at the gathering of indigenous groups in the capital Brasilia when no one speaks up on the stage. Shortly afterwards, Sônia Guajajara holds the microphone tightly in her hand and calls out to the audience: “Hello, dear family!”

Guajajara is one of the most prominent faces of indigenous protest in Brazil. Your people in the state of Maranhão have the reputation of being “guardians of the forest” because of their commitment to the rainforest. They and their colleagues actively oppose illegal loggers and gold diggers, report them and often pay with their lives for them.

1000 kilometers of railroad tracks

“Our way of life in the intact jungle has never been as threatened as it is now under President Bolsonaro,” Sônia calls out to her audience. “But we will show him that he has opponents: namely us, the indigenous people of this country!” Applause breaks out – many rise from their chairs. Some of the Kayapó group push their fists towards the roof of the tent.

A year ago, in August 2020, the Kayapós caused a stir. At that time they blocked the federal highway 163 near the city of Novo Progresso. As a result, the traffic of the countless soy vans temporarily came to a standstill. The Kayapós made themselves heard in their fight against the “Ferrogrão” railway project that is supposed to run through their area.

From the city of Sinop in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso to Itaituba in Pará, the Brazilian government is planning to build railway tracks over a length of 1000 kilometers. The aim is to transport soy from the growing areas faster and cheaper than before to the Amazon ports, from where it will then be exported on ships to China and Europe. Soy is an important component of animal feed in Germany too.

Slash and burn for soy cultivation

The Kayapós stand alone in the area of ​​Novo Progresso with their protest. The region is dominated by farmers who want to expand their agricultural land for cattle or soy.

When the Amazon fires made headlines around the world in August 2019, the residents of Novo Progresso proclaimed a so-called “Day of Fire”. Within a few days, the Brazilian authorities noticed dozens of newly started fires, apparently with the aim of increasing agricultural land, via satellite monitoring. The Bolsonaro government openly supports this endeavor.

Threatening bills and court rulings

Numerous laws are currently being voted on in parliament that pose a specific threat to indigenous territories. The proposed law “PL 490” is intended to permit mining activities in indigenous protected areas. This has been a request from Jair Bolsonaro for years.

Another draft, the legislative initiative “PL 2633”, has already been passed by a majority by the Chamber of Deputies. If the Senate also approves, the subsequent legalization of land grabbing would be allowed. This would make part of the criminal deforestation of the past lawful in one fell swoop.

This Wednesday, Brazil’s Supreme Court also wants to make a decision on the so-called “Marco Temporal” rule. The question is whether indigenous people are only allowed to claim an area for themselves if they lived there before 1988.

However, it is difficult to prove this in practice. In addition, in some cases, indigenous peoples were displaced from their original territory a long time ago. Only in the course of Brazil’s new indigenous policy after the end of the military dictatorship were they able to resettle on their ancestral land with the support of the state.

The fear of the defenders of the jungle

Should constitutional judges come to the conclusion that evidence from before 1988 is necessary, this would in fact be tantamount to curtailing the previously guaranteed rights of the indigenous people of Brazil. And it could also be a driver for deforestation in the medium term, as well as numerous other projects that the Bolsonaro government is currently trying to get through Congress.

The indigenous people see themselves as defenders of the jungle. That is why 6,000 of them have now made the pilgrimage to Brasilia by bus to increase the pressure on Brazil’s judges and politicians. The Kayapós want to hold a vigil in front of the Supreme Court. They hope that the judges will decide in their favor and put a stop to the Bolsonaro laws.

But this is not certain. Many fear that Bolsonaro will want to create facts a year before the next presidential election – at the expense of the guardians of the forest.