Indigenous tribes stand united to protect the future of the Amazon (WeCare Impact, Brazil)

WeCare Impact
5 min readApr 19, 2022

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Brasilia’s largest ever indigenous protest marches against illegal mining in the Amazon and the right to demarcation of their lands as given to them in 1988

Written by Nadine Casanova and Michal Sereia Do Mar

Article edit and Images by Nesma Bensalem

BRASILIA, April 6, 2022Tribes gathered in the Brazilian capital April 6th-16th at Terra Livre (Free Land) camp for a 10-day protest defending the Amazon against deforestation, illegal mining, and the rights to demarcation of their lands.

The future of the Amazon and indigenous people is threatened by the right-wing government of Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro who has been actively working to open Indigenous land for commercial use and prevent demarcation of Indigenous lands. He is pushing for Congress to pass the “TimeFrame” also known as “Marco Temporal law”.

The so-called “TimeFrame” is a lawsuit in the Federal Supreme Court (STF) that argues that indigenous peoples can only claim land where they were already on October 5, 1988. On that day, the Brazilian Constitution came into force. On the one hand, the ruralist caucus and institutions linked to agriculture defend the framework. On the other hand, indigenous peoples fear losing the right to areas in the demarcation process. But how did this dispute start?

The Federal Constitution guarantees the creation of the so-called Indigenous Lands (TIs) in article 231. These are territories that belong to indigenous peoples, who can exploit their natural resources and develop their cultures. They can also be inhabited by one or more ethnic groups. The right of the Indians to the territory is exclusive and permanent.

However, it is possible to create new indigenous lands in the country. For this, Funai (National Indian Foundation) begins a process of identification and delimitation of the territory. After opening for demonstrations by states and municipalities, a study is sent to the Ministry of Justice.

If the boundaries of the Indigenous Land and a possible inspection of the area are approved by the ministry, the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Incra) resettles any non-indigenous people who were in the area. In the end, the President of the Republic can approve, by means of a decree, the creation of the new Indigenous Land in Brazil.

The indigenous people claim that they have an “original right to the land” because they were here before the creation of the Brazilian state. The “Marco Temporal” (time frame) thesis would also ignore peoples who were expelled from their lands, under violence or due to rural and urban expansion by whites, deforestation or killed by the proliferation of diseases when the Federal Constitution was enacted. Thus, they could not be present that very day.

For indigenous peoples, certain territories are also a direct way of connecting with their ancestors, of maintaining their own culture and also of survival in the face of the expansion of urban and rural life in Brazil.

In the first half of 2022, on June 23, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) will re-judge the “Marco Temporal” time frame for indigenous lands. This was one of the most important cases discussed during the year that is ending, but on which there was no decision.

Since taking office in 2019, Bolsonaro has used his authority to attack indigenous rights and reverse environmental protections. Simultaneously, congress has been voting on numerous bills undoing the hard-fought protections established in the 1988 constitution. Besides illegal violent invasions on the indigenous people, satellite data shows deforestation in the rainforest has reached an all-time high. A new study says that the Amazon is quickly approaching a tipping point beyond repair.

Critics have warned, this is not just about indigenous communities, this is about the entire Amazon rainforest which impacts the world at large. Leading scientists believe the tipping point will come at 20 to 25 percent deforestation, causing a large amount of the lush rainforest to turn into dry savanna, risking dieback with profound implications for biodiversity, carbon storage and climate change at a global scale. Eighteen percent has already been lost with the rate of destruction increasing exponentially.

“We will not retreat,” said Sonia Guajajara, head of the country’s main indigenous umbrella organization, the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples (APIB) that represents most of Brazil’s 900,000 indigenous people. More than 6000 Indigenous leaders from 172 tribes stood strong at the protest. In song, dance and prayer, they marched to protect their homeland, demonstrating the importance of unity in these critical times and why the world should join them in action.

Environmentalists say the indigenous reservations save the rainforest from ultimate destruction. Indigenous people play a key role in protecting biodiversity and should be uplifted rather than eliminated for their wisdom and stewardship of the land. It seems logical that the government of Brazil work hand in hand with indigenous leadership to ensure development efforts are regenerative and consider the Amazons impact on the world at large.

Currently it seems the press and government are motivated by profit over planet. None of the three main newspapers in Brazil covered this historic protest as they rely on agribusiness funding. Sadly, money doesn’t mean much if we lose the lungs of our planet and face global climate disaster.

The Amazon provides essential oxygen for the planet, houses millions of different species (including healing plant medicines), regulates massive planetary systems, and buffers countries against the challenges of climate change. Its destruction would accelerate the decline of wildlife around the world and could unravel the efforts that have been made in the global fight against extreme poverty. All of the United Nations Global Goals, for that matter, would be endangered by its loss.

It is imperative that we the people, of this world, stand united to protect the Amazon Rainforest.

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WeCare Impact
WeCare Impact

Written by WeCare Impact

WeCare Impact is a purpose driven creative studio + consulting firm leveraging Arts, Technology & Community to make an impact www.wecareimpact.com

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