As it does every year, the Indianist Missionary Council (CIMI), an
agency linked to the Nacional Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), is
disseminating the results of its survey on violence against Indian peoples
in 1991. The figures are shocking. 27 Indians were murdered, 14 more than in
the previous year. There were also nine murder attempts, 14 death threats,
and 21 actual suicides. This violence could have been avoided if measures
had been taken to, among other things, remove invaders from Indian lands
and punish aggressors.
Some murders had an additional touch of cruelty. The body of Geraldo Mendes,
from the Makuxi people, was found on the waters of the Maz River all tied up
with bullet holes on the forehead, below the ear, and in the throat. The
Makuxi Indians live in the state of Roraima, close to the border between
Brazil and the Bristh Guyana, and they were the main victims of the
aggressive acts committed against the Indians as a whole last year. But the
state of Maranhao, located between the Northeast region and the Brazilian
Amazonia, was the one where most of the murders took place, namely, eight.
Land conflicts were the main cause of this type of violence. Invaders of
Indian lands, particularly farmers, were directly involved in 21 murders,
while gold prospectors were directly involved in four of them.
MURDERS 27
MURDER ATTEMPTS 9
DEATH THREATS 14
ILLEGAL ARRESTS 14
SUICIDES 21
CASES OF PHISICAL AGGRESSION 30
INVASIONS OF INDIAN LAND BY GOLD PROSPECTORS 6
INVASION BY WOODCUTTERS/FARMERS/SETTLERS 16
OUTBREAKS OF DISEASES/EPIDEMICS 33
DEATHS CAUSED BY OUTBREAKS OF DISEASES/EPID 206
CIMI believes that, in order to put an end to these conflicts, all lands
traditionally occupied by Indians must be demarcated, as provided for in the
Brazilian Constitution. But demarcation only is not enough. The Brazilian
Government must also take direct measures to remove all invaders from those
lands, since they are directly responsible for the aggressive acts committed
on a daily basis against the Indian peoples. In Brazil, the fact that a land
is demarcated does not mean thant it is free from the presence of invaders.
And the removal of these illegal invaders will only be possible in the
framework of a well-defined government policy in relation to Indian peoples,
which until now does not exist in practice.
Impunity is another cause of so many murders. CIMI has raised information
acccording to which in connection with only 11 of the 27 murders occurred last
year some kind of legal measure was taken to punish the guilty ones. But only
the persons involved in two of the murders were actually arrested.
SUICIDES
Suicides represent a constant threat, particularly to the Guarani Kaiowa
Indians. In 1991, 21 suicides were registered, against 31 in the previous
year. Although the figure is smaller, it is still extremely worrying, as this
year alone, 1992, six Guarani Kaiowa Indians committed suicide already. The
situation reached such a point of despair that among the Guarani Indians
themselves signs can be detected that remaining alive is not so important
anymore.
>From the total of 21 suicides, 17 took place in the Guarani people, three
among the Tikuna Indians, and one in the Makuxi People. Most of the suicides
involved young Indians and the preferred method was hanging. A Makuxi youth
committed suicide in order not to be arrested for a second time. Once he had
been accused of theft, detained and taken to the Penitentiary of Boa Vista,
capital of Roraima, where he was ill-treated by other prisioners and by
policemen as well. Later, he was released and allowed to work on a farm with
his father. The two killed a chicken that belonged to the farmer and were
denounced to the police, in addition to having been forced to eat the bones
of the chicken. The possibility of being arrested again made the young Indian
get deeply depressed. He finally gave up and killed himself.
The social-economic situation of the Guarani people is extremely serious,
particularly due to the lack of land, wich prevents them from fully enjoying
their traditional culture. With an essentially religious past, the Guarani
Indians fell prey to alcoholism, the intereference of several religious
sects, and the exploitation of their labor under conditions of semislavery in
sugarcane crops and alcohol plants. For as long as the land problem is not
tackled, the problem of the suicides will continue.
OUTBREAKS OF DISEASES AND EPIDEMICS
In 1991. CIMI registered the occurrence of 33 outbreaks of diseases and
epidemics involving 26 Indian peoples. Malaria stood out among the different
outbreaks, accouting for exactly 10 of them and affecting over 7,000 Indians.
Among the Yanomami Indians alone, 6,788 cases of the disease were reported,
killing 79 Indians between January and October. There were four outbreaks of
tuberculosis all over the country, and three of measles. 206 Indians
reportedly died as a direct consequence of some outbreak. Malaria alone,
either by itself or accompanied by another disease, accounted for 121 deaths.
More outbreaks were reported among the Yanomami Indians than in any other
Indian people, almost invariably caused by the presence of gold prospectors.
But the occurrence of outbreaks can also be blamed on the lack of medical
assistance to Indian communities. Simple vaccination campaigns or other
preventive treatments could have protected the Indians. Only few Indian
peoples rely on the assistance provided by a health professional and there is
a constant lack of essential medicines in their settlements.
The survey that was carried out on violence against Indian peoples will be
sent to the Office of the Attorney-General, to the minister of Justice, the
Federal Police, and parliamentarians. CIMI believes that information of this
kind should be provided to the Judiciary, Executive, and Legislative branches
as essential background data for them to take measures accordingly. If
nothing is done about it, the day-to-day lives of Indian peoples in Brazil
will continue to be marked by violence, jeopardizing the very existence of
some of them.
Brasilia, March 31, 1992
CIMI - Indianist Missionary Council