Brazil’s Pataxí³ Indians Take Over Land Being Used by Paper Firm

According to information from Cimi (Indianist Missionary Council), after repossessing the indigenous lands that were being used for eucalyptus plantations to supply Veracel Celulose, in the far south of Bahia, the Pataxó have managed to meet the president of Funai (National Foundation for the Indian), Mércio Pereira Gomes.

According to the indigenous people, Funai has set a deadline of 15 days for a report identifying the land to be published, and have scheduled a further meeting to discuss land issues in the presence of Ibama and Incra representatives.

"The president said that he had seen the preliminary report and that it was good and he asked us to trust him because the group was coming to the area on October 21 and that in less than a month the land identification report would be ready," said Manoel Pataxó.

According to A Tarde newspaper, from Salvador, capital of the northeastern state of Bahia, Gomes confirmed that the repossessed land was indigenous. "The area in question is included in the study to expand the indigenous territory," the newspaper reported. For five years, the Pataxó have been waiting for the studies concerning their land to be concluded.

The lands were repossessed in the early morning of September 27, the day before the inauguration of the Veracel Celulose factory in the region, which was attended by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, symbolizing the support of the Brazilian state to the production of paper for export and the expansion of the eucalyptus monoculture.

The Pataxó have petitioned for the end of eucalyptus planting in those areas where studies to identify their traditional lands are being carried out. They report that the pesticides used in the tree planting operations have affected their water supply. According to one indigenous person, Robson Pataxó, the Brazilian environmental agency, Ibama, has pledged to carry out studies on the quality of the water in the region.

The 40 indigenous families, led by the Pataxó Resistance and Struggle Front, have remained on the repossessed land, and 3 to 5 hectares of eucalyptus trees have been removed. The area is located around Mount Pascoal. "We will stay here until we have a positive reply about our land," said Robson.

Cimi – Indianist Missionary Council – www.cimi.org.br

Tags:

You May Also Like

Brazil’s Appeals Court Denies Moral Damages Against Cigarette Maker

The 4th Panel of the Superior Justice Court (STJ), the highest Brazilian appeal court, ...

Brazil Plans to Maintain Oil Self-Sufficiency in Decades to Come

When he turned the faucets to start the oil flowing on Platform P-50, last ...

In Libya Lula Tells Brazil, US and EU Have Historic Debt to Africa

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil, said this Tuesday (June 30) ...

11 Days in New York with Brazil’s Best and Latest Screen Productions

A newly restored Eastmancolor print of Marcel Camus’s Orfeu Negro (Black Orpheus) and Breno ...

Brazil: Trying to Save the Forests

The conservation and recuperation of the remnants of araucária forests in the South of ...

Brazilian Senate Absolves Its President But Many Believe He’s Guilty

The Brazilian Senate narrowly voted Wednesday, September 12, to absolve the embattled senate president, ...

Anemia Afflicts Half of All Brazilian Children

Brazil’s Pastoral Commission for Children estimates that around 50% of poor Brazilian children suffer from ...

Brazilian Industry’s Confidence in Economy Falls Again to a 3-Year Low

Brazil’s Industrial Entrepreneur’s Confidence Index (Icei), announced yesterday, July 19, by the National Confederation ...

The Winners and Losers of Brazil’s Biosecurity Law

The Brazilian Senate just passed the Law of Biosecurity, which among other things gives ...

Downtown São Paulo, Brazil

By 2050 Brazilians Will Be as Rich as Europeans Were in 2005

A study by UK-based consulting company Experian Business Strategies concluded that Brazilians will reach ...