On July 25 the world's hope towards the final demarcation of the
Yanomami's continuous territory was granted one of the most
positive signs of becoming a reality in recent years. Mr. Sydney
Possuelo, president of the Indian government agency, FUNAI,
issued a Resolution (02/91) approving the official demarcation of
94,000 square kilometers as the continuous Yanomami territory.
Brazilian law requires that government officials make their
recommendations within 30 days of the date the Resolution is
issued. Despite the law however, Justice Minister Jarbas
Passarinho, responsible for presenting the final position on the
matter to President Collor, could take much longer to decide.
Among other measures, he has ordered a complete census of the
Yanomami's population in order to determine whether the Yanomami
need so much land to survive.
The Yanomami's remaining population has already been estimated at
9,000 by competent anthropologists who have spent most of their
lives with the Yanomami.
Thus a "complete" census at this particular moment makes no
sense, other than to be part of Mr. Passarinho's strategy to
delay time. Moreover, the need for the demarcation of a
continuous territory should not be simply based on the size of
this fast disappearing population. The Yanomami are traditionally
distributed in various tribes which maintain constant contact with
one another, and this very fact is crucial to their survival and
cultural identity. Thus, it is not only the size of their
population but also their spatial distribution and possible
interaction that should be taken into account when demarcating
their territory.
The real reason for Mr. Passarinho's delay comes from an extremely
strong lobby against FUNAI's president decision. The state
governors of the Amazon region, particularly Gilberto Mestrinho of
Amazonas and Ottomar Pinto of Roraima, combined with mining
companies and a good number of politicians who directly benefit by
economic interests in the region, have formed a strong opposition
to the final demarcation of the Yanomami's territory.
Unfortunately, the lobby counts with an old feared ally: the
doctrine of "national security" imposed by the Brazilian army.
This "coalition" against the Yanomami claims the existence of a
major plot to "internationalize" the Amazon. Mr. Passarinho,
himself an army officer during the Brazilian dictatorship, has
personally accused religious institutions of attempting to exploit
the region's natural resources. On a recent press conference he
said that "there are some priests who carry a metal detector
instead of a Bible." Consequently, he has authorized the
Parliamentary Commission of Enquiry (a working group of Federal
Deputies and/or Senators set up to investigate a matter) to
conduct a serious investigation by the Federal Policy on "all the
religious missions present in the Amazon Region." This Commission
has already identified 21 missions suspected of interacting with
international organizations that are after the region's mineral
treasury. They are also suspicious of CCPY (Commission for the
Creation of the Yanomami Park) and Mdicins du Monde, which have
been ridiculously included in the list of suspected missions.
The widespread opposition to the final demarcation of the Yanomami
territory has also affected federal government officials. Mr.
Jose Lutzemberger, National Secretary of the Environment, has been
ordered to attend a meeting with high Army officials in order to
discuss the "internationalization" of the Amazon. Nevertheless,
supporters believe that this meeting has, in fact, been called to
pressure Mr. Lutzemberger to resign, since he has been one of the
most important government officials advocating on behalf of the
Yanomami.
Meanwhile time can be gained, the oppositionists to Mr. Sydney
Possuelo's Resolution, are masterminding a counter-proposal which
would merge economic interests, principally those of the mining
companies, in the process of demarcating the Yanomami territory.
Mr. Octavio Lacombe, president of Paranapanema, the world's
largest tin-mining enterprise, recently participated in a press
conference with Roraima's state governor Mr. Ottomar Pinto. On
July 26, the National Department of Mineral Production (DNPM),
authorized mining concessions to Mineracao Guararema inside the
Yanomami territory. Later, under the threat of legal action by
FUNAI, DNPM revoked the authorization on the grounds of not
knowing that the prospecting mining sites were inside the
Indigenous territory.
Neglecting the legal deadline expired on August 25, Mr.
Passarinho, has yet to present his final recommendations to
President Collor. On the other hand, worldwide support towards
FUNAI's Resolution has been most encouraging. Recently, the NGOs
of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations at the preparatory
conference for UNCED-92 signed a petition to President Collor
stating that the creation of the Yanomami Park "in no way
signifies the internationalization of Amazonia."
Whereas Collor has shown support to Yanomami when saying "never
again will there be garimpeiros in that area", Mr. Passarinho has
been rather inconclusive and rhetorical. Addressing the Brazilian
press, the Justice Minister asked "do you think that land as rich
in mineral resources as that will stay intact?"
Jose
Roberto
Borges
Amazon
Campaign
Source: CCPY (Commission for the Creation of the Yanomami Park)
Please write to President Collor demanding that he urgently
approves the Resolution n< 02/91 of FUNAI's president Sydney
Possuelo. If possible send copies to CCPY.
President Fernando Collor de Mello Palacio do Planalto
70150 Brasilia, DF FAX: (061) 223-0664 or (061)
226-8689
Please send a copy to:
Comissao Pela Criacao do Parque Yanomami - CCPY Rua Manoel
da Nobrega, 111 cj. 32 CEP 04001 Sao Paulo, SP
FAX: (011) 284-6997