The drought in the Brazilian Northeast has claimed the lives of several
Indians. In June, malnutrition killed eight Geripanks children in the State of
Alagoas; without any rain, crops were lost, leaving the Indians with nothing to
eat. In some Indian areas, there has been no rain in the last two years,
facilitating the transmission of diseases. The long drought afflicts twenty
Indian peoples, totalling 36 thousand persons.
The drought is a cyclic phenomenon in the Brazilian Northeast. In order to
avoid its consequences, long-term measures should have been taken, such as the
building of ponds, artificial means to irrigate crops, and the drilling of
artesian wells, which would benefit the region's population as a whole, and not
only the Indians. However, the government only acts on an emergency basis,
distributing food and creating work fronts to keep the population occupied and
ensure some source of income to those affected by the drought.
In the Geripanko' Indian Area, where the eight children died, the
population is facing terrible living conditions. Because of the drought, it is
impossible to plant anything and the only water reservoir available is used by
animals, for bathing, and for cooking, washing and drinking. Because of this, a
woman died of cholera a few months ago, five Indians confirmedly caught the
disease, and it is suspected that ten other Indians have caught it too.
With no work or food, the Kambiwa, who live in the State of Pernambuco,
joined rural workers of the region and plundered a small village located close
to the Indian area. The Xukuru Indians of Ororuba', also in Pernambuco, had
decided to plunder the Pesqueira village, but the city hall acted and offered
them food and seeds before they did it.
The Indians accuse the government of having excluded them from the work
fronts. In May, sixty Fulni-o^ Indians invaded one of the offices of FUNAI
(National Indian Fundation) in Pernambuco to claim work. About the same time,
the office of the Indianist agency in Maceis capital of the State of Alagoas,
was also occupied by about one-hundred Kariri, Xoco', Wassu, Tingui Boto',
Karapoto', Xukuru, and Gerimpanko' Indians who wanted food.
The drought is an additional problem for the Indian peoples living in the
Northeast, one of the poorest regions in Brazil. Most of the peoples in the
region have been suffering for a long time due to the lack of assistance and
the invasion of their traditional territories. It is not the first time that
they suffer the consequences of a long drought.
Brasi'lia, July 1, 1993
CIMI - Indianist Missionary Council