Amazon Indian Victory - Help Preven Kenneth_Walsh en.alerts 9:50 AM Jan 13, 1999 (at edf.org) From: Kenneth Walsh@EDF on 01/13/99 12:57 PM Subject: Amazon Indian Victory - Help Prevent Violence Dear colleagues, The Indigenous Council of Roraima (CIR -- the grassroots organization representing the indigenous people of Roraima state in the northern Brazilian Amazon) has won a major victory for the environment and human rights -- federal recognition of their tradtional territory. Your faxes and emails to the Brazilian government were critically important. But now, local polticians are threatening violence against the Indians, and CIR needs your help to consolidate this victory. Please read the attached letter from CIR and fax or email your congratulations to Brazil president Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Minister of Justice Renan Calheiros. Many of you know that the fate of the Raposa/Serra do Sol indigenous territory in Roraima state in the northern Brazilian Amazon has been a key test of the Fernando Henrique Cardoso government's political will to protect Indian land and rights. Bitterly opposed by the local political elite, the demarcation of the 1.6 million hectare area was at the end of 1996 traded away in exchange for the Roraima delegation's votes in support of the constitutional ammendent allowing the president to run for reelection. Implementing the deal to fragement and reduce the size of the area would have created various disastrous precedents for indigenous land rights throughout Brazil, and to open conflict in the region. Now, the Indigenous Council of Roraima (CIR) has won the objective for which the Macuxi, Wapixana, Ingariko and other indigenous peoples of the reigon have struggled for the last twenty years: the legal demarcation of all of their tradtional lands. The government has upheld constitutional protection for Indian land rights over the aggressive and systematic resistance of local politicans. Those of you who supported this initative with faxes, emails and letters to the Brazilian Government have played a greater role than you may know in keeping the issue in the international eye and so helping to counter the pressure of the most retrograde state government in the Amazon CIR needs your help now to stop violence against Indians and to ensure that this key victory is consolidated. Please read and respond to CIR's letter. Sincerely, Steve Schwartzman Environmental Defense Fund 1875 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20009 tel 202 387 3500; fax 202 234 6049 steves@edf.org +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Urgent Action from Indigenous Council of Roraima Concerning Raposa/Serra do Sol Boa Vista, January 8, 1999 Dear friends, As you know, on December 11, 1998, Brazilian Justice Minister Renan Calheiros signed declaration 820, officially recognizing Raposa/Serra do Sol as the traditional land of the Ingarico, Macuxi, Wapixana and Taurepang peoples. To fully conclude the demarcation process, Funai must perform administrative tasks (topographical work); the president must sign a Ratification of the demarcation; and finally the area needs to be registered in the Federal Registry of Land Titles (SPU). The declaration is extremely important to the full recognition of Raposa/Serra do Sol, and we hope that the further steps will be fulfilled as expected. The situation in Roraima is tense, however. A group of ranchers who invaded our land has been instigating non-indians against us. They have boycotted the sale of meat and rice, saying that demarcation will hurt the state's economy. They've attracted the poor population of Boa Vista to their demonstrations by distributing rice and meat. At one of these protests, ranchers publicly set fire to a rice mill, in order to show their power and force. Otomar Pinto, former governor of Roraima and current mayor of Boa Vista, instigated the use of violence against indigenous peoples ("Otomar defends the Use of Violence" ran the headlines of the local paper, Jornal da Folha de Boa Vista, on January 8, 1999). He cited Lenin's famous phrase "violence is the midwife of History", and stated "if they do not pay attention to us, we are not going to let them destroy everything, even if we have to use violence". This concerns us because anti-indigenous feeling is very strong and growing in Roraima. Many crimes have been committed against our people, and we are worried that the violence might resurge. Federal and state representatives recently met with the Minister of Justice and asked him to stop the demarcation process. In this way, they hope to gain time in order to do more maneuvering. We therefore ask that you send letters to the President and Minister of Justice, congratulating the Brazilian government for having signed the declaration recognizing Raposa/Serra do Sol. State that you are aware of the current situation in Roraima, and ask that the physical demarcation and ratification of Raposa/Serra do Sol be implemented quickly, and the invaders removed. A model letter follows. Thanks in advance for your support! Sincerely, Jeronimo Pereira da Silva General Coordinator Indigenous Council of Roraima Conselho Indigena de Roraima-CIR Av. Sebastiao Diniz, 1672 - Bairro Sao Vicente CEP: 69.303-120 - Boa Vista - RR - Brasil Tel/Fax: 005595224 5761 cir@technet.com.br ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Model Letter Exmo Sr. Fernando Henrique Cardoso President of Brazil E-mail: pr@cr-df.rnp.br Fax: 011-55-61-226-7566 Exmo. Sr. Renan Calheiros Minister of Justice Fax: 011 55 61 224 2448 Dear Sirs: We would like to congratulate the Brazilian government for having signed Declaration 820, of December 11, 1999, officially recognizing Raposa/Serra do Sol as the traditional land of the Ingarico, Macuxi, Wapixana and Taurepang peoples. For those of us who follow the situation of indigenous peoples and support their struggles, this news is encouraging. It lets us hope that indigenous peoples in Brazil are regaining their rights, and will enter the new millennium with the possibility of a better life and strengthened cultures. We are concerned, however, with information that Roraima politicians and a group of ranchers who invaded Raposa/Serra do Sol are inciting violence against indigenous communities and provoking divisions among them, in order to paralyse the demarcation process. We therefore respectfully ask that you ensure the quick implementation of the administrative demarcation and ratification of Raposa/Serra do Sol, and proceed with the removal of invaders. We also request that all possible steps be taken to punish the people who have been inciting the anti-indigenous atmosphere in Roraima and the use of violence against indigenous communities. Sincerely, ++++++++++++++++++++++ [If you have received this Action Alert through EDF but not like to receive alerts, etc. in the future, kindly drop me a line at (Kenneth_Walsh@edf.org). Similarly if you a receing more than one copy (directly from EDF) please also let me know. Thanks. Ken Walsh for EDF.] Conf?