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‘Hidden genocide’: Death of Indigenous man in Brazil spurs outcry | Indigenous Rights News


The death of a man believed to be the last member of an unrelated indigenous tribe In the west of Brazil, the Amazon has made new calls to the Brazilian government to protect indigenous communities from escalating violence and encroachment on their lands.

International rights group Survival International report On Sunday, the man known only as “The Man of the Pit” was found dead in Tanaru Indigenous Territory in the northwestern state of Rondonia. He died of obvious natural causes, follow to the Brazilian authorities.

The man, whose name derives from his habit of building wormholes, was the last living member of a tribe that saw their people “massacred in a series of attacks dating back to the 1970 onwards” and lived in complete isolation for many years, Survival International said.

Fiona Watson, the group’s director of research and advocacy, said little is known about the man, including his self-proclaimed name, the name of his tribe or the language he speaks.

“All we know about him, from putting the evidence together, he is the sole survivor of several genocide attacks,” she told Al Jazeera in an interview. , describing him as a symbol of “a very hidden and secret genocide” as well as of “extraordinary courage and resilience”.

Indigenous man in Brazil
‘Man of the Hole’ has survived a number of ‘genocide attacks’, says Fiona Watson of Survival International [FUNAI/Courtesy Survival International]

News of the man’s death caused grief for many, while placing a new focus on the policies of President Jair Bolsonaro’s far-right government that indigenous leaders and activists say is giving. at risk of being attacked and force them to leave their territory.

“Indigenous territories are being invaded because people feel extremely dangerous, invaders. With Bolsonaro… people feel very encouraged,” said Watson.

“I think this is a wake-up call because… a very important part of the rich diversity of humans disappeared forever with the death of the Man of the Pit,” she added. “The Brazilian government must treat this as an emergency and fund and bring in experienced field workers, more staff, to determine exactly where these people are and conduct an analysis. define their boundaries and protect their lands.”

‘Intensified brutality’

Brazil is home to more than 800,000 indigenous people from more than 300 different groups, according to data from the last census in 2010 cited by rights group Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB).

For years, indigenous leaders have raised alarm about the threats their communities face in the South American country, especially in areas with little government oversight where farmers, miners, poachers and others are seeking to control and exploitation.

Indigenous people have accuse Bolsonaro and his allies on adopting policies that seek to displace them in favor of groups that illegally encroach on their territories, while relaxing environmental protections in areas as important as The Amazon Forest tropical forest. Far-right leaders have supported more mining in the Amazon, saying it would stimulate the economy.

The Indigenous Missionary Council, a group affiliated with the National Episcopal Conference of Brazil, has recorded 305 cases of “encroachment on property, illegal exploitation of resources and damage to property” in territories indigenous peoples last year, affecting 226 indigenous lands in 22 states of Brazil. That number is up from 109 such incidents in 2018, a year earlier Bolsonaro takes office – 180 percent increase.

“In addition to the increase in the number of cases and lands affected by the illegal activities of miners, loggers, hunters, fishermen and squatters, among others, invaders strategies to increase their presence and brutality in indigenous territories,” the council said in a report this month (PDF). “These violent and criminal attacks, often with heavy weapons, have been repeatedly reported by Indigenous peoples and ignored by the federal government, which further fuels mining activities in these areas. this territory”.

In August 2021, APIB Complaint filed asked the International Criminal Court to investigate Bolsonaro for “genocide” and “crimes against humanity” amid the deteriorating situation, accusing his government of openly encouraging “crime” traditional invasion [Indigenous] territories “.

The group said in a report that state policies expose indigenous peoples “to threats of death, murder, invasion, destruction of their territory and resource pollution.” (PDF) last year, while “Bolsonaro’s discourse was the main driver of those attacks”.

Protect the land

In a written statement sent to Al Jazeera, Brazil’s foreign ministry said the government was committed to “protecting the human rights of all Brazilians, including indigenous peoples”. The country’s indigenous affairs agency, known as FUNAI, has invested $15.9 million ($82.5 million Brazilian real) in “monitoring indigenous lands” since 2015. 2019 through 2021, the ministry said in an email.

FUNAI also uses satellite imagery to monitor illegal activities. “Such information allows FUNAI to assess illegal events on Indigenous lands and plan action to protect the territory, providing rapid response,” the statement said.

But Andrea Carvalho, a senior research assistant at Human Rights Watch (HRW) in Brazil, says one thing is clear. escalation of attacks about indigenous peoples and their lands in recent years. “This is driven by disastrous policies regarding protection Environment and the rights of indigenous peoples in Brazil,” she told Al Jazeera.

Carvalho said the Bolsonaro government had undermined the Brazilian environmental agencies and FUNAI, and explained that one of the ways they had done it was by removing experienced civil servants from leadership positions. Now, more than 200 indigenous territories in Brazil are awaiting demarcation, legally protecting the lands, she added.

“Historically, it took a long time to finish demarcation, but this administration even during the 2018 election campaign commit did not designate Indigenous territories and that commitment was transferred. Since Bolsonaro took office, Brazil has not demarcated any new Indigenous territory,” Carvalho said.

Meanwhile, as Bolsonaro face to face against former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the polls in October, Carvalho said Indigenous affairs were largely dismissed election campaign hitherto. “Now, candidates have to tell voters, tell Brazilians how they are planning to really protect the rights of indigenous peoples and how to strengthen the institutions,” she said. federal government – and how they plan to dismantle the criminal network that is causing environmental devastation.”

Watson at Survival International calls international pressure in Brazil to better protect Indigenous lands after the death of the “Man of the Hole”, who she said could only “go on with her life” due to government protection of the Indigenous Territories Tanara.

“I think his story is the ultimate illustration of what can happen to the indigenous people if we don’t protect their land,” she said.



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