Guajajara
Tembé[2] |
The Guajajara are an
History
In 1901, the Guajajara fought Capuchin missionaries in what is regarded as the last Brazilian "war against the Indians." Chief Cauiré Imana had succeeded in uniting many villages to destroy the Capuchin mission and expel all whites from the region between the cities of Barra do Corda and Grajaú. The Guajajara were defeated by a militia made up of army contingents, military police, and Canelas warriors.[1]
Guardians of the forest
The "guardians of the forest" are a forest protection group primarily composed of Guajajara tribal members living on Arariboia Indigenous Land, a territory in the north-eastern edge of the
Origin and mission
On October 15, 2007, tribal leader Tome Guajajara was killed during an armed invasion by woodcutters in his village, after which talks of formalizing the group began.[4] Village leaders in nearby communities encouraged young people to mobilize to defend their land. In 2013, the Guardians of the Forest was established.[4] They are politically independent, volunteer-run, and there is no official record of their existence to protect their members from being targeted.[5] The Guardians track illegal loggers, miners, and their camps in groups of five or more, by foot or using motorized vehicles to disrupt and deter deforestation.[4]
The Guardians consist of approximately 120 volunteers who collectively protect 413,000 hectares of land in Arariboia.
Response
Political response
The Brazilian government has been a prominent adversary to the Guardians, particularly under the presidency of
International response
The Guardians have attracted growing international attention due to their opposition to the government and the high-profile murders of several members. In November 2019, Sônia Guajajara, a prominent Indigenous activist and former presidential candidate who ran against Bolsonaro in 2018, urged the European Union to place global pressure on Brazil for their repression of Indigenous environmental rights.[10] Organizations including Greenpeace,[11] Democracy Now!,[12] and major news outlets, including The Atlantic,[13] Vox Media,[14] and the BBC[15] have raised awareness of the group's activities, with Indigenous activists increasingly advocating for sanctions against the Brazilian government and the need for Indigenous visibility in environmental justice forums.[3][16][17][18]
Conflict
Between 2000 and 2020, 47 Guardians were killed during confrontations with illegal loggers, miners, and extractions teams.
Notes
- ^ a b c "Guajajara." Povos Indígenas no Brazil. (retrieved 20 Feb 2011)
- ^ "Tembé: Name." Povos Indígenas no Brasil. Retrieved 2 Feb 2012.
- ^ a b c d Marcal, Carol (8 November 2019). "The Life and Death of the Guajajara". Greenpeace International. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g Libardi, Manuella (16 September 2020). "Amazon heroes who don't give up". Open Democracy. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d Gómez-Upegui, Salomé (1 September 2021). "The Amazon rainforest's most dogged defenders are in peril". Vox. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
- JSTOR 26384870– via JSTOR.
- ^ S2CID 150684636.
- .
- S2CID 57567645– via MIT Press Direct.
- ^ Taixeira, Fabio (4 November 2019). "Indigenous leader pushes EU to block Brazil deal over native community deaths". Reuters. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ "The Life and Death of the Guajajara". Greenpeace International. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ "Emboldened by Bolsonaro, Illegal Loggers in Amazon Kill Indigenous Leader Paulo Paulino Guajajara". Democracy Now!. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ Taylor, Alan. "Photos: The 'Forest Guardians' of Brazil's Amazon - The Atlantic". www.theatlantic.com. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ Gómez-Upegui, Salomé (2021-09-01). "The Amazon rainforest's most dogged defenders are in peril". Vox. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ "Brazil: Amazon land defender Zezico Guajajara shot dead". BBC News. 2020-04-02. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ Democracy Now! (4 November 2019). "Emboldened by Bolsonaro, Illegal Loggers in Amazon Kill Indigenous Leader Paulo Paulino Guajajara". Democracy Now!. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ Taylor, Alan (23 September 2019). "The 'Forest Guardians' of Brazil's Amazon". The Atlantic.
- ^ a b BBC (2 April 2020). "Brazil: Amazon land defender Zezico Guajajara shot dead". BBC. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
- ^ a b CBC Radio (6 November 2019). "Brazilian 'forest guardian' who protected the Amazon from illegal loggers has been killed". CBC. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
- ^ a b Human Rights Organization Terra de Direitos (June 2015). "Human Rights Defenders in Brazil" (PDF). Retrieved 23 October 2021.
External links
- Guajajara artworks, National Museum of the American Indian