Hope for Guarani-Kaiowá territory

After several maneuvers from local authorities and the state governor in Mato Grosso do Sul to prevent the demarcation of 36 traditional territories (tekóhas), a solemn meeting between officials and anthropologists of the FUNAI (Indigenous Affairs Institute) and the religious leaders marked the start of the process. The demarcation by FUNAI will define, together with the communities, the ancient land traditionally occupied by the Indians to live, cultivate, hunt and fish. During the “Aty Guassu” (big meeting), the religious leaders asked for protection for the FUNAI staff, who will stay for 8 months to define the surface of land that would eventually have to be returned to the 40.000 members of the indigenous group.

 

Indeed, big landowners in the 26 municipalities that would be visited to define the territories repeatedly warned that they would defend their properties. The attorney general from the region,Marco Antônio Delfino de Almeida, stated during the meeting that he asked for mobilisation of federal police to intervene rapidly in case of conflicts between landowners, officials and Indians.

 

Fortunately, slowly a consensus is growing that the federal state has a responsibility to resolve the conflict. In its Constitution, it is stated that territories should be given back to the indigenous. At the other hand, the state government was the main responsible for confining the Kaiowá in limited reservates, and selling the rest of the land to farmers for plantation development. The actual landowners should therefore be compensated in some way if the land is to be given back to the indigenous.

 

At this moment, it is urgent to know what the extent of the territory is from an anthropological point of view. This technical work of demarcation is a first and fundamental step to proceed on the political discussion on how to guarantee the indigenous rights and their access to land.