President Jair Bolsonaro used our identify in his speech to the UN Normal Meeting and made unfaithful statements about our folks. This press launch goals to make clear the data the President gave and on the similar time allow everybody in Brazil and the world to listen to our phrase.
We, the Yanomami folks don’t quantity 15,000 folks because the President says. We quantity about 27,000 individuals who reside in 380 communities in Brazil in a territory which was demarcated [formally recognized] in 1992, in response to the 1988 Structure. One other 14,000 Yanomami reside in Venezuela. In whole we’re 41,000 folks.
We, the Yanomami, should not enthusiastic about utilizing the assets which lie beneath the earth and we don’t wish to promote gold and priceless minerals. We aren’t poor folks dwelling in a wealthy territory. For us the essential factor is the forest’s pure assets which allow us to guide wholesome lives. We wish to use these assets with out chopping down timber and clearing the forest. We use fireplace to supply our meals however this doesn’t trigger forest fires. Crucial factor for us is to maintain the forest alive and standing. We Indigenous peoples know simply how essential the forest is. The forest shouldn’t be solely essential for us but in addition for you, the non-Indigenous peoples. Because of this we’re defending it. Our meals come from the forest, in addition to a lot of our data, the spirits of the forest, clear air, humidity and animals which thrive there. The forest is our well being and in addition the well being of our planet. Our cultural heritage lies inside the forest. It’s our house and that’s the reason we defend it. That is essential for Indigenous peoples. Our land is wealthy due to the forest, not due to what lies beneath it. For us wealth is the forest standing.
We combat to guard and defend our land. Non-Indigenous individuals are occupying increasingly more land, expelling and killing Indigenous peoples and bringing in ailments. For a very long time, the federal government has troubled the lives of Indigenous peoples. Our oldest leaders, along with leaders of different Indigenous peoples, fought loads for the Brazilian state to acknowledge our territories and our rights. However in the present day the federal government needs to bother our lives once more.
Regardless of the actual fact our land is demarcated, there are miners coming into it and the federal authorities needs to legalize mining in Indigenous lands. Its speeches apart from being disrespectful and prejudiced in direction of Indigenous peoples, stimulate and legitimize the invasions of our land. This 12 months the invasions of miners on our land has elevated alarmingly, principally alongside the Uraricoera and Mucajaí rivers. There are practically 20,000 miners invading our territory, contaminating our water and our fish and bringing in ailments. Malaria is an enormous reason behind demise and is returning to our land due to the mining camps. Mining camps additionally improve conflicts and violence in our territory.
The President referred to Raoni and disrespected him. Indigenous leaders are the legit representatives of their peoples and Indigenous peoples in Brazil. Raoni Metuktire, Davi Kopenawa, Ailton Krenak, Sonia Guajajara and different Indigenous leaders have the correct to signify Indigenous peoples in any nation on the planet, to talk of the issues Indigenous peoples face of their territories, and within the Amazon. The president wrote off leaders who’ve for fought for Indigenous rights, and legitimized folks with no historical past within the combat to defend Indigenous peoples in Brazil.
We is not going to quit our land. We don’t want to be like non-Indigenous folks. The federal government needs to weaken our achievements and tells lies. The Federal Authorities should adjust to its constitutional obligations and assure the rights of Indigenous peoples as set out in article 231 of the Brazilian Structure: it’s the obligation of the state to take care of our well being and schooling and to guard out territory.
Our territory is already formally ratified however in the present day the federal government doesn’t wish to respect this.
We’re legit Brazilians, the primary folks on the land the place we had been born and the place we’ll die.
