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Brazilian Indians secure nationwide land victory
un article par Survival International
Tribes across Brazil have secured a historic
nationwide victory, preventing Congress from
seizing control of the future of their lands. 
Dozens of Indians entered the Congress building to make their voices heard. © Agência Brasil
click on photo to enlarge
A proposal to change the constitution and give
Congress power in the demarcation of indigenous
territories has been shelved following months of
vociferous protests by thousands of Indians,
representing dozens of tribes.
Last week, dozens of Indians traveled to Brasilia
and entered the Congress building to make their
voices heard. Five were arrested during the
protest, and have since been released.
If passed, the proposed constitutional
amendment, known as ‘PEC 215’, would have
caused further delays and obstacles to the
recognition and protection of the tribes’ ancestral
land, on which they depend for their survival.
Indigenous leader Sonia Guajajara stated on her
way back to her Amazon home after weeks of
lobbying in Brasilia, “I am returning with a
cleansed heart, a light soul, and full of courage to
do it all over again if ever needed in the fight for
the defense of our rights and our peoples.”
The Association of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil
(APIB) issued an open
letter to mark this momentous occasion,
stating, “We indigenous peoples have shown that
we will never allow our lands to be recolonized,
invaded or destroyed, even if that means
sacrificing our own lives.”
Alongside several other proposals, PEC 215 was a
result of pressure by Brazil’s powerful agri-
business lobby group which includes many
politicians who own ranches on indigenous land.
It threatened to spell disaster for tribes such as
the Guarani who have been evicted from most of
their land and who face appalling living conditions
and one of the highest suicide rates in the world
while they wait for the government to fulfil its legal
duty to map out their land, and Brazil’s numerous
uncontacted tribes – the country’s most
vulnerable societies.
Survival has been lobbying against PEC 215 and
the other dangerous proposals. Nixiwaka
Yawanawá, an Amazon Indian from Brazil, led the
international protests by Survival supporters and
stated, “We’re here to support our indigenous
brothers and sisters in Brazil who are facing the
worst assault on their rights in decades.”
Brazilian Indians continue to fight against the
invasion of their lands by loggers, miners,
ranchers and others, and against a series of
Amazon mega-dams which threaten to destroy
the livelihoods of thousands of Indians, and wipe
out some uncontacted tribes.
(Click here for a Spanish version of this article)
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DISCUSSION
Question(s) liée(s) à cet article:
Indigenous peoples, Are they the true guardians of nature?
* * * * *
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