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NEWS FROM BRAZIL supplied by SEJUP (Servico Brasileiro de Justica
e Paz)
Number 147, September 22, 1994.
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We are pleased to announce that SEJUP now has its
own conference. It is called Sejup.News; we will
continue to place our information as well in the
Ax.Agen.Eng conference until the end of September
1994. Starting in October our weekly information
will be available ONLY in the Sejup.News conference.
We invite you to visit us there.
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INDIGENOUS ISSUES
- Yanomani forced to prostitute themselves for food.
A statement from the Indigenous Missionary Council of
September 16 claims that in some Yanomani villages gold
prospectors are exchanging food, guns and ammunition for sexual
relations with the indians. This practice has been more
widespread in the Parafuri region of the Yanomami territory
between the Parima and Mucajai rivers and was first brought to
public attention by a FUNAI (the government indigenous agency)
worker, Walter Nicanor Fontouro Bloas who works in the area.
The prostitution has been responsible for the rapid spread
of venereal diseases amongst the indians. The indian villages
near the gold prospectors' camps have been most affected. Here
alcohol brought in by the prospectors who have invaded the area
is given as a present to the indians and is frequently mixed with
the traditional drinks. Four deaths took place in a celebration
on August 09 when such drink was used.
According to government data, approximately a thousand gold
prospectors have invaded the area. However, reports from pilots
and functionaries of different organizations who work in the area
indicate that the number is over 2500. The Federal Police and
FUNAI have done little to remove the invaders from the area;
until the moment only 12 gold prospectors have been removed.
Walter Nicanor believes that there is a possibility that the
invaders are stimulating prostitution and the introduction of
diseases and alcohol amongst the indians. He suspects that this
is seen as a manner to decimate and remove the Yanomami from the
area.
According to reports in the "Folha de Sao Paulo" on
September 20, FUNAI and the Federal Police have started an
operation to remove the gold prospectors from the Yanomami area.
Few efforts had been made since last February to remove the
prospectors when a work agreement between FUNAI and the police
ended.
A new agreement was drawn up on September 07 according to
the report. According to the agreement the air force will loan a
helicopter to FUNAI to help in the removal of the gold
prospectors. Most of the prospectors are concentrated in the
Xiriana region where the Aracaca, Papiu, Parafuri and Epari
villages are situated.
- Caiapos expel a thousand gold prospectors from their
territory.
Para recently expelled approximately a thousand gold prospectors
from the Santilo area of their reserve. The Caiapos became angry
with their leaders who had made agreements with the gold
prospectors. According to an indian leader, Paulinho Paiakan,
from the neighboring Aukre village "there was a civil revolt on
the part of the Caiapos who could not accept any longer the
extreme poverty in which the majority of the group lives while
the leaders receive the benefits of the agreements made with the
gold prospectors". According to the mayor of the local town,
Redencao, the municipality and other entities are providing food
for the expelled prospectors who are now camped in the town.
- Expulsion and reoccupation in indigenous areas.
62 families from the Xukuru Karari group who had reoccupied
two ranches situated within their traditional area in the State
of Alagoas, have been expelled by court order. The order was
issued by judge Paulo Machado Cordeiro who judged that the area
should be returned to the two ranchers. Locally the situation is
tense.
Meanwhile, members of the Pankararu group of the Entre-Serra
Cana Brava area situated in the municipalities of Tacaratu and
Petrolandia in the State of Pernambuco reoccupied 6194 hectares
in their traditional area. Approximately 100 families took part
in the reoccupation. The entire group has a population of
approximately 5800 people and are settled on an area of 4
thousand hectares. A government survey recognized that the
indigenous area consists of 14294 hectares; most of this area is
now occupied by farmers without land documents (posseiros). The
area in question is situated in the arid north eastern region of
Brazil and the Pankararu who now live in absolute misery hope to
demarcate their territory since the relevant government
authorities have failed to do so.
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