In Brazil’s capital, Indigenous leaders rally as land disputes and mining pressures grow

BRASILIA (AP) — Thousands of Indigenous people marched in Brazil’s capital on Tuesday to protest what they say are violations of their land rights by large corporations advancing farming, logging and mining projects.

Indigenous leaders also sought to apply pressure on President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has supported Indigenous rights and environmental stewardship in Latin America's largest nation while also pushing oil and other projects that appear to go against those aims. The leftist leader is expected to run for reelection in October.

Protesters walked along the Esplanade of the Ministries toward Three Powers Square, home to the presidential palace, Congress and the Supreme Court. The demonstration was part of the annual Free Land Encampment now in its 22nd edition.

Free Land is Brazil’s largest Indigenous mobilization, bringing together about 7,000 Indigenous people from 200 groups from across the country who camp in Brasilia for a week to press for unified demands. This year’s gathering comes amid rising reports of violent attacks against the Pataxo people in Bahia state amid a land dispute with farmers, as well as significant protests in the Amazon region in recent months.

“The Congress, the Supreme Court and the president make decisions for us without hearing us. They often pick one or a dozen of Indigenous and say we all agree with a waterway, a rail, a mining project," said Alessandra Korap, an Indigenous leader and winner of the 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize. She spoke with The Associated Press as she began marching alongside her people, the Munduruku.

“In an assembly like this, when Indigenous peoples from across Brazil stand united, no one dares to approach us, even as they make decisions about our lives,” Korap added. “But we are here to send a message.”

Protecting Indigenous territories is widely seen as one of the most effective ways to curb deforestation in the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest and a key regulator of global climate. Researchers warn that continued forest loss could accelerate global warming. A 2022 analysis by MapBiomas, a network of nongovernmental groups tracking land use, found Indigenous territories in Brazil had lost just 1% of native vegetation over three decades, compared with 20% on private land nationwide.

Encampment follows recent protests across the Amazon

Indigenous women have been protesting since February in Altamira, in Para state, after a court approved a licensing process for a massive gold mine operated by Canadian company Belo Sun. Environmental groups and Indigenous leaders oppose the project, alleging serious irregularities in the licensing process.

In February, the Indigenous movement secured a victory when Lula revoked a decree allowing private concessions for waterways. The decision followed 33 days of protests involving thousands of demonstrators at a Cargill facility — including Korap — in Santarem, also in Para state.

People began arriving in Brasilia over the weekend. As more arrived Monday and began setting up tents on the grass of an open‑air cultural space in the city, Indigenous leaders organized assemblies. One of them questioned the crowd over a microphone: “Is everyone satisfied with what the government has done about demarcation of Indigenous land?” and “Is everyone satisfied with Congress? With the Supreme Court?” The response to each question was a no.

On Tuesday, Indigenous people from different generations and communities marched chanting and wearing traditional headdresses and body paint, creating a mosaic of Indigenous cultures.

“Brazil’s current political environment is forcing us to remain increasingly mobilized, unified and visible,” Dinamam Tuxá, head of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, told the AP.

Contested projects advance in Congress and courts

While acknowledging advances made under Lula’s administration, Tuxá said Indigenous rights remain under pressure from Congress, sectors of the executive branch and economic interests driven by growing global demand for oil, gas and critical minerals.

Lawmakers have advanced bills that weaken constitutional protections or seek to reinterpret Indigenous land rights, while the long-standing debate over allowing mining in Indigenous territories has persisted.

“We are also in an election year. That is why Free Land has adopted the theme: Our future is not for sale, and the answer is us,” Tuxá said.

Lula was invited to the encampment but had not confirmed his attendance as of Monday afternoon, said Kleber Karipuna, one of the leaders of the Indigenous rights group Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil. Members of the administration — including Eloy Terena, the minister of Indigenous Peoples — told Indigenous leaders they would take part in hearings at Free Land during the week.

The Brazilian president, a prominent icon of the left, has pledged to protect the environment and Indigenous peoples while simultaneously defending projects seen as vital to the agribusiness, mining and energy sectors, all of which have drawn criticism by Indigenous groups and environmentalists. Lula has argued that development and conservation can happen at the same time.

In February, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Flávio Dino ordered Congress to pass legislation regulating mining on Indigenous lands within two years.

In the same ruling, Dino said the Cinta Larga people, who live in a region spanning the Amazonian states of Mato Grosso and Rondonia, have the rights to mine within their own territory, provided they comply with environmental requirements and secure major approval among communities. Dino said that mining already happens illegally in Indigenous areas, disrespecting environmental rules and with the use of violence.

Under Brazilian law, any mineral research or mining activity on Indigenous territories requires Congress' approval, in addition to consulting local communities.

Renata Vieira, a lawyer with the non-profit organization Instituto Socioambiental, said Brazil’s Congress — dominated by representatives of the agribusiness sector — is overall hostile to the Indigenous agenda.

“Any legislation on mining in Indigenous lands will be very harmful,” she said. “I believe the push to authorize mining on Indigenous territories represents one of the most serious threats to Indigenous rights.” ___

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