Land, Time and Struggle: Urgent Declaration by the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil

We, indigenous peoples, are time itself. We are enchanters of this time that is like a serpent, with many curves, a story that cannot be simplified as a straight line. Who could have imagined that, after more than five centuries of colonization and extermination, we would be here, firm as our forests, singing our songs and playing our maracas, in resistance for the life and well-being of the entire society. 20 years of Camp Terra Livre! The first, held in 2004, brought together 240 indigenous people. Today, in Brasília, we are here with around 9 thousand people, representing more than 200 people, who came from all regions and biomes of this Brazilian territory to say: ‘OUR LANDMARK IS ANCESTRAL! WE’VE ALWAYS BEEN HERE!’

Between April 22nd and 26th, we were in the federal capital mobilized to demand our rights! We at the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), together with all our regional grassroots organizations, Apoinme, Arpinsul, Arpinsudeste, Aty Guasu, Guarani Yvyrupa Commission, Coiab and the Terena People’s Council, seek effective measures that ensure the protection and strengthening of indigenous rights, aligned with the dignity and justice demanded by our peoples.

We began our historic mobilization demanding 25 points, which are in the ‘Charter of the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil to the Three Powers of the State’, with demands for urgent measures. And we finish our mobilization by reaffirming these urgencies! OUR TIME IS NOW! We can’t wait any longer and we need concrete answers!

The deliberate decision by the State powers to suspend the demarcation of indigenous lands and to apply Law 14,701 (Indigenous Genocide Law) amounts to a DECLARATION OF WAR against our peoples and territories. This represents a break in the pact established between the Brazilian State and our people since the promulgation of the 1988 Constitution, which exclusively recognized our original rights, prior to the formation of the Brazilian State itself.

We warn that this intentional rupture will result in an increase in violence and genocide policies and practices historically promoted by both society and the State itself against indigenous peoples. From the most remote periods of history to the present day, including the dark legacy of the military dictatorship, whose consequences still echo in our lives.

We also emphasize that, just as our ancestors did, we will resist until the end, even if it means putting our own lives at stake, to protect what is most sacred to us: our Mother Earth. We are committed to the right to live with dignity and freedom, seeking the good life of current and future generations of our people and humanity.

What concerns us is not death. We know this one closely. Death and life are part of this serpent of time that moves over the earth, within the waters and in the tops of the tallest trees. What concerns us is the cowardice of those who try to dominate untamed time and seek to profit from our deaths. In this statement we affirm: THERE IS NO MORE TIME FOR YOU!

We vehemently reject any attempt by the federal government to resume public policies without guaranteeing what is essential: the demarcation, protection and sustainability of indigenous territories in the first place. Any initiative that does not prioritize these aspects will only be a palliative and insufficient measure. It is essential that land demarcation is respected and protected, without deviations or manipulations, including actions that aim to distort this process, such as President Lula’s recent statements. The territorial rights of indigenous peoples are NON-NEGOTIABLE and must be preserved at all costs.

On the first day of ATL mobilization, a decision by Minister Gilmar Mendes, rapporteur of actions on the Indigenous Genocide Law (14,701), highlighted once again his partiality in favor of ruralists and historically anti-indigenous. Despite recognizing that the Law contradicts decisions made by the STF on indigenous lands, Mendes, instead of annulling the Law, suspended all actions aimed at guaranteeing the maintenance of indigenous rights. Furthermore, he submitted the question of the fundamental rights of indigenous peoples to the Court’s conciliation nucleus and once again we affirm:

OUR RIGHTS CANNOT BE NEGOTIATED! The minister thus wants to give the green light to those who want to invade our lands to attack our lives. Faced with this anti-indigenous decision that was made by a single minister, IT REMAINS TO KNOW IF ALL OTHER MINISTERS OF THE STF WILL COWARD OR WILL BE AGAINST THIS DEATH DECISION!

We will never accept the legalization of the ongoing genocide of our people. Likewise, we vehemently repudiate the opening of our territories to enterprises that contradict the urgency of the climate crisis and global warming. Such developments represent a direct threat to mother nature, forests, our rivers, biodiversity, fauna and flora, as well as all the riches and forms of life that we have preserved over millennia. If there are resources available to compensate invaders, why not use them to demarcate Indigenous Lands? If there is a need to buy land, it should be to resettle the invaders, and not to displace our people from their original lands. PRESIDENT LULA, WE DON’T WANT TO LIVE ON FARMS! It is necessary to prevent Rui Costa, Chief Minister of the Civil House, from continuing to “order” the approvals of Indigenous Lands.

We do not accept this situation. We will be vigilant so that President Lula fulfills his commitment to install, within a period of 15 days, a Task Force, composed of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, the General Secretariat of the Presidency and the Attorney General’s Office (AGU), to dialogue with the Three Powers and definitively demarcate all our lands. We also hope that this Task Force will count on the effective participation of our people and organizations.

We fight for the land, because it is there that we cultivate our cultures, our social organization, our languages, customs and traditions. And, above all, our right to remain indigenous lies in our lands and territories. We are citizens with rights, we are our own representatives, we support politics and we will continue to demarcate Brazil.

OUR LANDMARK IS ANCESTRAL. WE’VE ALWAYS BEEN HERE. AND WE WILL ALWAYS BE HERE! WITHOUT DEMARCATION THERE IS NO DEMOCRACY!

Terra Livre Camp, Brasília, April 26, 2024

Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB)

Articulation of Indigenous Peoples and Organizations of the Northeast, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo (Apoinme)

Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of the Southern Region (Arpinsul)

Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of the Southeast Region (Arpinsudeste)

General Assembly of the Kaiowá and Guarani People (Aty Guasu)

Guarani Yvyrupa Commission

Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (Coiab)

Terena People’s Council