Indigenous Community in Brazil Lives Under Constant Threat of Violence
A remote Guarani-Kaiowa village in Brazil, Kurusu Amba, exists in a state of perpetual fear, routinely bracing for attacks from local landowners and their hired enforcers. The community’s precarious existence, marked by poverty and environmental contamination, underscores the escalating violence faced by Indigenous populations in the Brazilian Amazon and Cerrado regions.
On June 10, 2025, members of the Guarani-Kaiowa community were already monitoring the perimeter of their territory, anticipating potential aggression from local breeders. This constant vigilance highlights a grim reality for many Indigenous groups in Brazil, where land disputes frequently erupt into deadly conflict.
A Village on the Brink
Kurusu Amba, situated on the fringes of Brazil’s center-west, is barely a visible settlement. The community consists of a scattering of makeshift shelters – plastic tents and branches – where families camp on mattresses laid directly on the ground. Basic necessities like electricity and clean water are nonexistent; residents rely on a stream heavily polluted with pesticides for their water supply. Despite the harsh conditions, the community perseveres, relying on traditional hunting practices for sustenance. A recent hunt, lasting nearly ten hours, yielded a white beard boar, harpooned with a simple spear by a hunter battling an eye disease.
The Weight of Fear
The tranquility of Kurusu Amba is consistently shattered by the threat of violence. A distant plume of dust on the horizon is enough to trigger widespread panic, sending men scrambling for ceremonial sticks repurposed as weapons. Children cry, seeking reassurance from their mothers and elders. Often, the alarm proves false – a passing car, momentarily mistaken for an approaching threat. But the relief is always temporary, as the community knows another potential attack is inevitable.
“We live in fear. The whites shoot us, at the rifle, almost every day,” confided Celia Perreira, a 27-year-old Kaiowa woman with her face painted in Jais black. This chilling testimony underscores the daily reality of violence faced by the Guarani-Kaiowa. At the first sign of danger, residents flee to nearby groves, spending entire nights exposed to the elements and the dangers of local wildlife – scorpions and snakes – simply to avoid confrontation.
The threats originate from henchmen employed by farmers, who readily resort to violence when attempting to displace Indigenous communities. This pattern of intimidation and aggression highlights a systemic issue of land grabbing and disregard for Indigenous rights in Brazil.
The situation in Kurusu Amba is a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle for survival faced by Indigenous communities in Brazil, a struggle defined by fear, resilience, and a desperate plea for protection.
