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  Guarani Kaiowá protest against lies and discrimination


• Preparations of new Indigenous People Statute started

 

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Guarani Kaiowá protest against lies and discrimination

 

Saturday, September 27, 500 members of the Guarani Kaiowá people demonstrated in the centre of Dourados (Mato Grosso do Sul) to clarify to the population that they only reivindicate their traditional lands, as guaranteed by the Brazilian Constitution. Politicians and large landowners fomented an intense media campaign against the demarcation of in indigenous lands in the region.

 

In July, after many years of indigenous revindication, the National Foundation on Indigenous Matters (Funai) installed the anthropological taskforces that will identify the so-called tekohá (traditional land) of the Guarani Kaiowá.

These studies will take place in 26 municipalities. This is used by anti-indigenous sectors in Mato Grosso do Sul to argue that the whole region will be designated as indigenous land (12 million hectares, or 1/3 of the entire state territory). As a result of this disinformation, the bias against the indigenous in the region is increasing.

 

“Demarcation Yes, Violence No!”, states the Guarani Leoson Mariano. ‘We are Brazilians as well. We don’t want to steal all the land, as the newspapers claim. We only want our rights, only what the Constitution grants us.” Chief Getúlio de Oliveira, of the indigenous land of Dourados equally denied the newspaper claims: “If we were to take our original territory, it would reach all over Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and other Brazilian states. That’s not what we ask for. We only want some of the land our ancestors lived at. We are not going to occupy Mato Grosso do Sul!”

 

First protest

It was the first time that indigenous mobilized in such numbers in favour of the demarcation and to inform the population in Dourados. Guarani Kaiowa of various indigenous villas participated, coming from Dourados, Campo Grande, Iguatemi e Douradina. Students of the Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD) and of the Universidade Estadual do Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS) joined the march, as well as members of the civil society.

 

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Preparations of new Indigenous Peoples Statute started

 

September 23^rd thru 25^th, the first regional encounters that will elaborate the outlines for the New Indigenous Peoples Statute took place. In Imperatriz (state of Maranhão) and Recife (Pernambuco), about 200 indigenous made suggestions for the new law. There will be another 8 meetings till December, involving a thousand Indians. 

 

The current Statute, law n.6001, was approved of in 1973. In the beginning of the ’90ies the discussions on a new statute started, but without any results. The only proposal that came forward has been lingering in the federal parliament since ’94.

 

Indigenous of all over the country demand that their proposals be discussed by parliament. “We need a new Statute, because the current one does not deal with our reality anymore,” says Sonia Silva, who represents the Guajajara people and other indigenous people of the state of Maranhão. “With our participation, the Statute will articulate our thinking and our way of living. Some of us may have difficulty to prepare our proposals, but we all know how to talk about our problems and we know how to say what we want and what we don’t want.”

 

Recife: against violence
The meeting in Recife gathered 100 indigenous from Pernambuco, Alagoas and Sergipe and people from the Ministry of Justice. Among the issues debated were: the specific indigenous education and water (energy) resources on indigenous land. The indigenous demanded that communities affected by water works be guaranteed consultation rights.

 

After the meeting, the participants protested the Torture never Again monument against violence. They reminded the murder of Mozeni Truká, killed a month earlier at August 23. It was also a protest against the criminalization of indigenous leaders of the Northeast. They were received by the Secretary of Human Rights and the Vice-Secretary of State Security of the state.

 

Maranhão: against logging

In Imperatriz 100 Indians from the states of Maranhão, Tocantins and Goiás gathered. The exploration of natural resources was extensively discussed. They demanded that affected communities be consulted and involved in the preparatory phase of possible exploration. However, they affirmed to reject the exploration of timber and non-renewable resources, including minerals. “The law must be more severe with timber companies”, affirmed Sônia Guajajara, of the Coapima organisation. Other resources might be explored when working on a sustainability plan. 

 

 

Brasília, September 25, 2008

Source: Cimi – Conselho Indigenista Missionário