Launch of the book ‘Indigenous Peoples in Brazil’ in Brasilia brings together indigenous authorities and leaders

2023-06-20 18:00:00
Launch of the book ‘Indigenous Peoples in Brazil 2017-2022’ in Brasília was attended by around 200 guestsIMariana Soares/ISA

The book Indigenous Peoples in Brazil 2017-2022 was launched on Friday (16/6), in Brasilia, with the presence of indigenous authorities and leaders, representatives of civil society and social movements.

Held at the Memorial dos Povos Indígenas, the meeting was attended by around 200 people, who watched a debate on the theme ‘The setbacks and reconstruction of indigenous policy’ and the documentary ‘Povos Indígenas no Brasil’. (watch below).

This is the 13th edition of the book which, since the 1980s, has sought to increase the visibility of the struggle experienced by indigenous peoples.

Portraying the cruelest post-dictatorship period for indigenous peoples in Brazil, the most recent edition, in its more than 800 pages, brings news, historical images and more than 100 articles that address topics such as public policies, legislation, demarcation of Indigenous Lands, pressures and threats, economic and political development, education, public health, culture and much more.

For the debate, the meeting received Kleber Karipuna, executive coordinator of the Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil (Apib); Marcos Kaingang, Director of Conflict Mediation at the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples (MPI); Lucia Alberta, Director of Promotion of Sustainable Development at Funai; Samara Pataxó, chief advisor for Inclusion and Diversity at the Superior Electoral Court; and Márcio Santilli, founding partner of ISA.

Minister Luís Felipe Vieira de Mello, of the Superior Labor Court, member of the National Council of Justice (CNJ), was also present and joined the table. Mediation was handled by Adriana Ramos, specialist in socio-environmental policy and law at ISA.

Kleber Karipuna started the conversation talking about the symbolic period that the most recent publication of the book (2017-2022) deals with. For him, the union between different fronts of society was essential for the challenges of those years, considered the most difficult for the indigenous movement and several fronts of society, to be faced.

“We managed to overcome these four years precisely because we joined the various allied forces and managed to reinvent ourselves and have a fundamental resilience at a crucial moment in our history”, he recalled.

In the midst of the resumption of indigenous policy, from the creation of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples and indigenous leaders at the head of the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai) and other institutions such as the Indigenous Health Secretariat (Sesai), Karipuna considers that there are still many obstacles to overcome.

From left to right: Márcio Santilli, Kleber Karipuna, Marcos Kaingang, Samara Pataxó and Lucia Alberta|Ester Cezar/ISA

For him, the solution is precisely the reconstruction of these spaces for the realization of rights, and also the discussion of ideas, such as the event table. “The positive and purposeful debate of public policies and actions is important for the development of works and policies as a whole, but, mainly, at the tip of the communities and the territory”, he defended.

Following this, Marcos Kaingang, representative of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, reinforced the important mission of leaders at the head of government institutions. For Kaingang, these are temporarily occupied spaces and, therefore, must carry with them the commitment and responsibility towards the organizations and the indigenous movement.

He also added that it is crucial that the people who currently occupy these positions give feedback and implement public policies not only for, but with indigenous peoples.

To fulfill this mission, he points out that the intercultural work carried out by the new Ministry will need a lot of qualified information such as the one in the publication released at the event. “A book that is a crucial tool not only as an instrument of struggle for indigenous peoples, but also for non-indigenous society in general. We as a government will definitely make good use of this publication,” he said.

Samara Pataxó, in turn, drew attention to events that have marked the last six years, such as in 2017, when the Temer government instituted Opinion 001/2017, known as “Opinion Anti-demarcation” for barring and annulling the demarcations of Indigenous Lands in the country , and its suspension in 2020 by the Minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Edson Fachin.

For the chief advisor for Inclusion and Diversity at the TSE, it was the way in which the indigenous movement prepared itself for moments of confrontation like these, both with traditional strategies, but also with mobilization, attempts and, above all, also based on qualification technique, was crucial for the construction of a regulated policy based on the collective.

“I really believe that village politics is possible and we do know how to do politics. May our future be made by us,” she urged.

Lúcia Alberta, like Samara, recalled the various setbacks that took place in the last six years. “The past government tried to introduce a policy of forcibly integrating relatives. We returned to the guardianship, the land demarcation and identification processes were completely dismantled.

Minister Luís Felipe Vieira de MelloIMarian Soares/ISA

The setbacks were gigantic,” he recalled. For her, rebuilding the indigenist policy with indigenous people at the forefront will be a very big challenge.

“I hope that in the next ‘Pibão’, the results of our work in this process will come. Because now we are rebuilding the indigenist policy with the look, sensitivity and knowledge of indigenous peoples”, he concluded.

Also present at the launch, Minister Luís Felipe Vieira de Mello, of the Superior Labor Court (TST) and member of the CNJ, announced that the CNJ will analyze this week a resolution that will pave the way for the adoption of quotas for indigenous people in the judiciary in the country .

“The way we can see it is not just through affirmative actions, but through the eyes of indigenous peoples”, he highlighted.

Closing the debate, Márcio Santilli, founding partner of ISA, spoke about the unique transitions portrayed by the book “Povos Indígenas no Brasil 2017-2022”.

For him, the publication reports the strong disposition of changes presented by the indigenous movement that culminated in the current moment lived, of a transition from an indigenist policy to an indigenous policy.

“With regard to this edition, I think it is worth highlighting something that brings the representation of indigenous women on the cover, and this is not free. How indigenous women in this period occupied space and were so vibrant. It is a historic turning point”, she celebrated.

In addition to the table, the mini-documentary “Indigenous Peoples in Brazil” was also shown, which makes up the series of products that aim to expand the reading of the publication, and includes testimonials and images that illustrate the beauty of Brazilian indigenous diversity and the various pressures and threats faced by indigenous peoples.

Watch: