ENTICEMENT OF INDIANS INTO EXPLOITING MAHOGANY DENOUNCED
The Parakana Indians who live in the Apyterewa indigenous area in
the south region of Para state are being enticed by woodcutters into
facilitating the smuggling of mahogany in the region. The situation
was denounced by the O Globo newspaper based on what its reporters
heard from dwellers of the municipality of Sao Felix do Xingu and is
taking place six months after a federal decree imposing strict
restrictions on the exploitation of mahogany in Brazil was issued. In
the exploitation scheme, the Indians, who are usually young, receive
only food and alcoholic beverages to show the best locations where the
hardwood can be found and, using firearms donated by the woodcutters,
they drive away Funai officials and any other person who may try to
prevent their action.
The sawmills which process the stolen mahogany are only 100 meters
away from the airport of Sao Felix do Xingu. Funai moved away from an
area nearby and the head of the Forest Handling Division of the
Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural
Resources (Ibama), Paulo Cesar Mendes, declared that he is aware of
the exploitation scheme but blamed the situation on the lack of
equipment and funds faced by the agency.
Professor Carlos Fausto, from the National Museum of Rio de
Janeiro, revealed in December through the Internet that for at least
two months the situation has been repeatedly denounced to the Ministry
of Justice, which has done nothing about it. It is estimated that at
least 15% of the 980,000-hectare indigenous area was invaded by
woodcutters, miners, farmers, and settlers. Carlos Fausto blames this
situation on the ``planned omission'' of federal agencies - Funai and
the Ministry of Justice - which are responsible for ensuring the
preservation of the indigenous territory.
In spite of the lack of inspection activities in the area, the
Parakana Indians, duly mobilized, have always helped federal agencies
in the task of curbing invasions and preventing the exploitation
of hardwood in it. The Indians, however, have almost always acted on
their own initiative. In 1993, they destroyed machines and other tools
of the Perachi timber company as a means to intimidate invaders. This
timber company, one of the largest in the region, defied the public
powers by illegaly exporting mahogany and, in this process, it
devastated 5,000 hectares in the indigenous land for opening pasture
areas.
TOCANTINS POLITICIANS MANIPULATE INDIANS AGAINST CIMI TEAM
Cimi's team in the municipality of Tocantinia, state of Tocantins,
is being intimidated and verbally attacked by people linked to local
politicians because of the position of the entity against the building
of the TO-010 highway and of a bridge over the Sono river, located
inside the indigenous area. More than any other party, the government
of that state has a special interest in these works, which are
expected to boost the regions' development project, referred to as
Prodecer and which is being co-financed by the Japanese government.
The Prodecer may lead to invasions of lands and environmental
damages. It contemplates the deforesting of 40,000 hectares for
growing crops and the use of huge quantities of chemical products
(fertilizes and pesticides) which may contaminate the rivers located
inside indigenous areas. On 20 November 1996, the federal judge of the
1st Court, Marcelo Dolzany da Costa, confirmed that the works would be
denounced pursuant to a decision issued by a federal court in 1993.
The interference of the State in the community led to internal
disputes and to the division of the clans. Cimi's posture of defending
indigenous rights has given rise to intimidating actions supported
even by Xerente chiefs who are being manipulated by the economic
interests of the state government.
Brasilia, 30 January 1997
Indianist Missionary Council - Cimi