2024-04-22 21:47:42
Terra Livre Camp 2024 began with a day of presentations, plenary sessions and reading of a Manifesto Letter with demands to the government | Lucas Landau/ISA
Commitment to the demarcation of Indigenous Lands, declaration of unconstitutionality of Law 14,701/2023 of the Temporal Framework and combating the anti-indigenous agenda in the National Congress. These were the main demands brought forward in the letter “Twenty years of Acampamento Terra Livre and the Urgency of Action”, read at the end of the first day (22/4) of activities at Acampamento Terra Livre (ATL) 2024.
The document is a historical record of the understanding of the indigenous movement in relation to the country’s political moment and brings 25 demands addressed to the Three Powers, especially the Executive. “We are already in the second year of government, and your promises about demarcations remain pending”, states the letter.
Last week, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva approved only two Indigenous Lands, out of the expected six, generating great frustration in the indigenous movement.
In this sense, the letter demands immediate approval of the other four areas. Are they: Xukuru-Galileeof the people Xukuru-Galileein Palmeira dos Índios (AL); Horse Hillof the people The Guarani Mbya e Guarani Godin Palhoça (SC); Imbu Awningof the people Kaingang, in Abelardo Luz (SC); It is Potiguara de Monte-Mor of the people Potiguarain Marcação (PB) and Rio Tinto (PB).
Xucuru people attend the plenary session celebrating 20 years of Acampamento Terra Livre, in Brasília | Ester Cezar/ISA
In addition to these, the document also requires the return of the declarations of Indigenous Lands, a step prior to the ratifying ordinance. The Declaration, an attribution of the Ministry of Justice, has remained on hold since 2018. In the current government, two ministers have already held the position: Flávio Dino, who left office without declaring any Indigenous Land; and Ricardo Lewandowski, who took over the portfolio in February and maintains the balance of his predecessor.
Find out more about the demarcation situation of Indigenous Lands in Brazil here.
“Our time is now, urgent and unpostponable”
Another point in the letter demands that the Federal Supreme Court (STF) judge Law 14,701/2023 unconstitutional. Approved in December 2023, it resurrects the “time frame” thesis, already overturned by the STF; limits the exclusive enjoyment of Indigenous Lands to indigenous peoples; puts obstacles in the demarcation process; among other setbacks.
The manifesto also calls for greater commitment from the federal government to combat the anti-indigenous agenda that continues to gain strength in the National Congress in the form of bills and constitutional amendments.
“We are not seeing this mobilization, except from the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, which has often done it in isolation and, at times, other ministries join in. But when we demand, it’s the whole, it’s all the ministers involved, it’s the Civil House, it’s the president of the republic to stand up and, in fact, embrace indigenous causes and not just stay in the narrative in interviews or moments where there is visibility public”, criticized Kretã Kaingang, executive coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib), during ATL’s first press conference.
Indigenous women from the Xingu Indigenous Land Association (Atix) prepare for presentation at ATL 2024 |Yamony Yawalapiti
This year, for the first time in the history of the mobilization, the presentation of the letter was made at the opening of the event, with the expectation that the demands of the indigenous movement will receive responses from the Three Powers this week, according to Kleber Karipuna, coordinator- executive at Apib.
“In return for his two comings [do presidente Lula] to our camp for the last two years, this year we decided to welcome us to Planalto”, joked Kleber. According to him, the march scheduled for Thursday (25/04) should take the public from ATL to Praça dos Três Poderes, in front of Palácio do Planalto, to make demands in relation to the government’s actions in relation to people’s rights. indigenous people, especially on the issue of demarcation.
Among the most prominent points in the letter are:
- – STF judge the unconstitutionality of Law No. 14,701/2023;
- – Homologation of the Morro dos Cavalos Indigenous Lands, (SC); Toldo Imbu, in (SC), Xucuru Kariri, in (AL) and Potiguara de Monte-Mor, in (PB);
- – Declaration by the Ministry of Justice of 23 Indigenous Lands;
- – Homologation of all Indigenous Lands that have not yet had their process completed;
- – Combat the anti-indigenous agenda in the National Congress.
First day of ATL
In addition to the release of the manifesto letter with the main demands of the national indigenous movement, the first day of ATL was marked by the reception of various delegations of indigenous peoples from all over Brazil and by plenary sessions and conversation circles promoted by Apib and its grassroots organizations.
See how the delegations presented themselves in the ATL main tent:
🏹☀️ Good morning from #ATL2024in Brasília (DF)!
The largest indigenous mobilization in the country begins today (22/4) and celebrates its 20th edition with the theme “Our landmark is ancestral, we have always been here”.
📸 Lucas Landau/ISA pic.twitter.com/K8Bs5QVnhH
— socioambiental (@socioambiental) April 22, 2024
Kleber Karipuna brought the history of the greatest mobilization of indigenous peoples in Brazil during the table “ATL 20 Years: tools of the political struggle of the Indigenous Movement”, which was attended by other Apib leaders.
Timeline set up at the camp in Brasília records important moments from ATL’s 20 years | Lucas Landau/ISA
For him, over these 20 years, the struggle of the people and the indigenous movement demonstrates what the paths of indigenous resistance have been since the European invasion. “Even with ups and downs, we started a camp 20 years ago with 200 people and today we have almost eight thousand”, he celebrated.
Dinaman Tuxá, executive coordinator of Apib, took stock of the situation: “We are experiencing a dark moment. All of us here, all the indigenous peoples, other social movements too. And in these 20 years we have been here, making this historic milestone that begins in 2004 and will not end in 2024. We reinforce this date to make it increasingly clear that proposals and demands made 20 years ago have not yet been fulfilled”.
Juliana Kerexu Guarani, executive coordinator of Apib, concluded the panel that celebrated ATL’s 20th anniversary demarcating the indigenous presence in Brasília. “This territory has an owner, this territory has a owner. In this capital, where they tried to kill us many, many times, but failed, we are here once again.”
Crisis in Vale do Javari
During an activity in the tent of the Union of Indigenous Peoples of Vale do Javari (Univaja), a conversation took place between leaders from Vale do Javari (AM) – an indigenous territory in the country with the highest number of groups in voluntary isolation, according to the National Peoples Foundation Indigenous people (Funai) – and journalists and indigenous people.
Indigenous people from Vale do Javari, indigenous territory in the country with the highest number of groups in voluntary isolation, present at ATL 2024|Lucas Landau/ISA
Beto Marubo, from the people, spoke at the activity Maruboe Waki Mayoruna, do povo Majorunaand journalists who cover the indigenous agenda – Rubens Valente, Sonia Bridi and Miriam Leitão – and the sertanista Sydney Possuelo, who has dedicated himself to the protection of isolated indigenous peoples for four decades.
Bruno Pereira, an indigenous man murdered in June 2022 along with the English journalist Dom Phillips, was remembered by everyone present, especially for the effort that the licensed Funai employee made to promote economic alternatives for the region’s border dwellers – in order to contain frequent invasions to indigenous territories by fishermen and hunters.
“Things are not easy. When we want to monitor our land, we do it ourselves. The police do not arrest, what is the role of the police there? The State should be responsible for this and today there is no one from Funai”, lamented Waki Mayoruna. According to him, hunters are removing large quantities of tracajás for sale and harming the livelihood of indigenous populations.
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