Because the Federal Government has not completely removed non-indigenous occupants from the Raposa Serra do Sol land in the state of Roraima, the tension between them and indigenous people has been increasing there. On Saturday, January 12, seven indigenous people were detained by the Federal Police as they were inspecting an area inside a forest reserve that is constantly depredated by invaders. They were only released on the following day.

 

On January 12, the indigenous people were inspecting and promoting awareness among tourists at the Caracaranã Lake, to where many people are attracted by tourist packages which are not accepted by indigenous peoples who live in the Raposa Serra do Sol land. Tourists leave a lot of garbage, offend indigenous people who live there, play music at maximum volume until late at night and bring and consume alcoholic beverages inside indigenous areas. For this reason, indigenous communities decided to promote awareness among these tourists. Some “tourists” were angry because of this initiative, which led to arguments.

 

Late afternoon, several teams from the Military, Highway and Federal Police were sent to the region because of complaints of tourists against the inspection that was being carried out in the area. Indigenous people had already finished their awareness-raising action, but they returned to the lake to speak with Police officers about what had happened. They were arbitrarily frisked by the Police and no weapons were found with them. The police officers, on the other hand, claimed that one of the indigenous people who were detained was carrying a bullet.

 

The indigenous people were then taken to Boa Vista, capital of the state, to testify about what had happened. According to chief Clodomir Malheiros, they were abused, threatened and even beaten while being taken to the police station. They were also ridiculed for being indigenous people, for wearing clothes and for driving cars. Chief Clodomir was accused of carrying ammunition and was arrested.

 

On Sunday in the afternoon, he was released after a temporary release request was filed. He returned to his community and today (December 17) he will return to Boa Vista to report the illegal abuses he suffered during the period he was kept in jail to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.

 

“All white people who are against the indigenous cause and most state, federal and municipal politicians enjoy privileges,” Malheiros stressed in a letter that he will add to his testimony to the Police.

 

In the opinion of the lawyer of the Indigenous Council of the state of Roraima, Joênia Wapichana, the Federal Government should be held accountable for this conflict in the Lake Caracaranã and for the overall tension in the region of the Raposa Serra do Sol land, because it has failed to remove non-indigenous occupants from the indigenous land. “We have been constantly repeating: Government had not complied with the Homologation Decree,” stressed Joênia. The bounds of the Raposa Serra do Sol indigenous land were officially confirmed on April 2005 after a struggle of 30 years of the indigenous peoples that live there.

 

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Federal Court determines that Funai is to demarcate a land area belonging to the Apolima-Arara people in the state of Acre

 

A Federal Court determined that the National Foundation for Indigenous People (Funai) is to demarcate, within a 90-day deadline, lands belonging to the Apolima-Arara people located on the banks of the Amônia river, in the municipality of Marechal Thaumaturgo in the state of Acre. According to this decision, the federal agencies in charge must resettle elsewhere the people who live in the land reform settlement and in the extractive reserve who are occupying part of the land.

 

In 2003, Funai prepared a report confirming that the land located on the banks of the Amônia river claimed by indigenous people has always been traditionally occupied by the Apolima-Arara people. However, the land comprises part of an extractive reserve and a settlement where about 260 families live. The relation between indigenous people and non-indigenous occupants has been a serious issue. Because of these conflicts, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office (MPF/State of Acre) filed a Public Civil Action on November 2007 requesting Funai and the National Land Reform Institute (Incra) to devise a solution that takes into account the rights of indigenous peoples and of the settled individuals.

 

The Federal Court set a daily fine of R$ 2,000 for as long as its decision is not complied with. In the coming weeks, representatives of Funai in Brasília will travel to the area near the Amônia river to meet with non-indigenous occupants and with public officials from the region to discuss the removal of the non-indigenous occupants from the indigenous area.

 

Campaign

 

Since 2006, Cimi has been holding the Campaign in favor of the Demarcation of the Arara Land on the banks of the Amônia river relying on the support from the Ecumenical Service Coordination Office (Cese). According to Lindomar Padilha, coordinator of the Cimi Regional Office in the West Amazon region, it is more and more important that people support this struggle. “The pressure that we put on the Court together with leaders of the Apolima people was part of the Campaign. Now it is important to keep the pressure to ensure that the decision made by the Court will be complied with and that the Minister of Justice will issue an Administrative Ruling declaring that area as an indigenous land.”

 

Leaders from the Apolima-Arara people were very pleased with the decision, but they could barely celebrate it in the past few days because strong rains that have been falling in the region raised the level of the Amônia river and many parts of their village were very affected by them. 

 

Brasília, January 17, 2008.

Cimi – Indianist Missionary Council