Survival Worldwide is deeply saddened on the loss of life of Pire’i Awá.
Pire’i lived along with his household within the Awá Indigenous territory, within the jap Brazilian Amazon. His sudden loss of life, after he fell from a tree whereas searching, has shocked his relations and all who knew him.
Pire’i used to be on the forefront of his individuals’s struggle to evict unlawful loggers and ranchers from their forest. He tirelessly denounced the invasions and the federal government’s inaction, expressing deep anger and fear for the well being and survival of his relations. As he stated to Survival on one in all our visits to his neighborhood, through the decades-long marketing campaign with the Awá for his or her land to be protected: “I don’t understand how we’re going to eat.. every little thing is being destroyed.. the entire space.. this land is mine, it’s ours. We Indians stay within the forest. That is Indian land. And we don’t go after the white individuals.. right here we had deer, wild pigs, turtles, the loggers have killed all of the turtles, the fires are killing them, they will kill every little thing.”
He was extraordinarily involved for the way forward for the uncontacted Awá, who keep away from contact with outsiders and shall be worn out if their forest isn’t protected. “I don’t like loggers. The loggers stated, ‘We need to kill the Indians,’” he advised Survival.
In 2014, following relentless strain from the Awá and their allies, the Brazilian authorities despatched a whole bunch of police into the Awá Territory to take away the loggers and ranchers. On the finish of the police operation Pire’i used to be taken up in a helicopter to see the outcomes, and was elated and overwhelmed to see that the loggers and settlers had gone.
“I went up in a helicopter. We flew round and I noticed our land with out white individuals, just for the Awá. All of us collectively achieved this. You reside distant however you helped us lots. I’m comfortable now. All the pieces’s nice.”
Pirei’s love of the forest, optimism and willpower shone by means of to all who knew him.
You possibly can see Pire’i speaking of his pleasure on the removing of loggers and ranchers from his territory on this video we produced after the marketing campaign victory. “We’re comfortable now. We sing and we hunt, deep within the forest… Our households are comfortable.”
Our ideas are with Pire’i’s household and relations at this extraordinarily troublesome time.
Beneath is an extract from one in all our many conversations with Pire’i over time, when the logging invasion was at its peak:
“The loggers are destroying all of the land. The loggers are going to destroy this entire space. They’re chopping down wooden and they will destroy every little thing. The tuquinho have run away, the capu have run away, the tapir have run away, the monkeys have run away too – all of the monkeys have run away…. monkeys, pigs, tapir, they’re all working away.
“The loggers are going to destroy this entire space. They’re going to burn every little thing. The turtles, the paca, the armadillos… the turtles have all died, the paca have died, every little thing is being destroyed, every little thing is dying.
“We’re all going to go hungry, the youngsters shall be hungry, my daughter shall be hungry, and I’ll be hungry too. There’ll be nothing within the forest… the loggers come right here with their vehicles and so they take the timber away. The loggers are destroying every little thing in my land. The vehicles are available, they take all of the timber, the vehicles make a whole lot of noise, and the wild pigs run away.. I can’t discover any recreation any extra, I can’t discover something. The kids are hungry, all the youngsters are hungry, what are they going to eat?
“The loggers’ vehicles come into the forest, vehicles, automobiles, 4x4s, many autos come right here and so they take the timber away. Then there’s nothing left, all of the animals run away, there may be nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing in any respect… the youngsters are hungry, the youngsters are hungry and I’m indignant with the loggers.”
