Newsletter 886: Terena communities recover part of their traditional land in Mato Grosso do Sul (MS)
Last week two communities of the Terena people returned to occupy part of their traditional lands in Mato Grosso do Sul. On Oct. 19, as group of Terena families from the village Buriti retook approximately 500 hectares of their territory near the city of Sidrolândia.
Yesterday, October 21, circa 300 Terena of the village of Cachoeirinha also retook a farm situated within the land of the people near the municipality of Miranda. The actions seek to pressure the responsible organs to conclude the demarcation of the two indigenous lands.
Finalization of demarcation
In the case of the Cachoeirinha land there is nothing that impedes the physical demarcation of the boundaries of the indigenous land by the National Foundation for Indigenous Affairs (Funai) as it has already been declared indigenous by the Ministry of Justice. A portion of the markers had already been fixed, but the work was interrupted. “We request that the physical demarcation continue. And that Funai evaluate the constructions of the farms in the area [to indemnify the owners]”, states Terena leader Lindomar Rodrigues.
According to Rodrigues, only 12 of the 54 farms on the Cachoeirinha land have been evaluated for the indemnification. The others did not permit entry to Funai technicians. The area that the Terrena recuperated yesterday – fazenda Petrópolis – is titled in the name of the former governor of Mato Grosso do Sul, Pedro Pedrossian. Funai has already submitted, after court order, the referent value to the beneficiaries of this farm, who are refusing the indemnification, estimated to be approximately R$ 2 million.
The Terena had already retaken this piece of their territory in 2007, but were dispossessed in September of 2008, by court order of reintegration of possession. The Federal Public Ministry (MPF-MS) appealed the decision to the Tribunal Regional Federal (TRF 3rd region), but the appeal has not been judged so far.
Rising tension and shooting of rubber bullet
According to Lindomar Domingues, the climate in the retaken land is tranquil. Temporary homes are being constructed and, by this afternoon, the Funai, the police and the Federal Military Police of Mato Grosso do Sul had not appeared on the land. On contrary, the climate on the land that the Terena retook on October 18, near Sidrolândia, is very tense. In the region, three farms were retaken. On Oct. 20, the group left two of the farms, but another group of the village Buruti maintained the retaking and is disposed to continue in the area. On the same day, the Military Police entered in the retaken area and shot, with rubber bullet, the indigenous Alegarde Alcântara. He is in good condition by now.
The leaders of the village Buriti are concerned for the security of the people. They report that the titleholders to the farms are contracting men from outside the region to act as private security guards. The indigenous fear that these security forces will attack them. There are precedents in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul of such occurrences.
The Terena of the Buriti village demand the conclusion of the demarcation of their traditional land. The continuation of the process depends on a decision by the 3rd regional Federal Tribunal (TRF 3rd Region). The report on the identification of the land was published, but the titleholders to the farms opposed the demarcation appealing to the Federal Court and succeeded in getting the process suspended. The Federal Public Ministry appealed to the TRF-3. The first decision of the Tribunal was favorable to the indigenous people, but the titleholders to the farms entered with yet another appeal and, at the moment, the question needs to be judged by the TRF-3 in plenary session.
Brasília, 22 October of 2009
Indigenist Missionary Council
Conselho Indigenista Missionário
