On 1st December, Domingos Paulino, a Gaviao Pukobye Indian, was
murdered by a lumberman known as Coaraci. Coaraci fired two shots,
one of which hit Domingos in the chest, and the other in the head.
The murder occurred in Amarante county in the State of Maranhao, in
the Brazilian sub-Amazon region. A police inquiry was opened to
determine the circumstances of the crime, but the lumberman has not
as yet been detained. It is reported that in recent years Domingos
had been subject to repeated death-threats from lumbermen.
Domingos was the chief of the village of Riachinho, and was
well-known for consistently refusing to sell timber, despite the
pressure he was under to do so. Nevertheless, the Governador Indian
Area, in which the village of Riachinho is located, received constant
visits from lumbermen, as the road leading to the Arariboia Indian
Area passes through it. In recent years the Guajajra Indians who live
in the Arariboia Area have been selling timber. The Gaviao Pukobye are
threatening to close the road in reprisal for the murder of Chief Domingos.
Last week a Gavico Indian known as 'Cabelo Ruivo' (Red Hair) told
the press in Maranhao, "We do not sell timber because the forest is
coming to an end." Later in his interview he stated that the Guajajara
Indians have been obliged to "trade in wood for survival", and that
they are always cheated, as most of the timber leaves the reservation
by night, and is not subject to any form of control by the Indians.
Moreover, the lumbermen pillage the natural resources of the Guajajara
territory, and some and pay the Indians as little as US$ 3 to 8 for
each cubic meter of wood extracted.
Part of the wood extracted from the Guajajara Indian lands is
converted into charcoal in kilns that are to be found all over the
municipality of Amarante. The trade in lumber cut on Indian lands has
resulted in a rise in tax revenues for the municipality and in wealth
for the lumbermen. However, according to some local inhabitants, the
town nowadays is constantly covered by a pall of smoke and dust, which
has led to an increase in the incidence of respiratory and skin
diseases among the population. Unions sources foresee that the timber
reserves will be exhausted within the next two years, after which the
town will face poverty.
The Guajajara Indians began selling their timber after the
launching of the Grande Carajas Project which was developed to exploit
the vast iron ore depositis of the region. Realizing that several
Indian areas would be affected by the Project, the Brazilian
Government established a support programme for the Indians, which
resulted in the disruption of the traditional economy of several
communities. Currently, lacking financial support from the government,
and having lost the traditional guarantees of survival that their
subsistence agriculture had provide, the Indians find themselves under
great pressure to do business with the lumbermen.
Brasilia, 3rd December l992
CIMI - Indianist Missionary Council