Since Sept. 23, a group of rural producers has maintained a blockade on the road to the Paquiçamba Indigenous Land in the Volta Grande do Xingu region of Brazil’s Pará state. The blockade is supported by local politicians and aims to prevent government officials from physically demarcating the land traditionally occupied by the Juruna (Yudjá) Indigenous people.
The protestors want to prevent the Indigenous Affairs Agency (Funai) from entering the area to physically mark the boundaries of the Paquiçamba. It’s a required step before the Indigenous territory can be officially approved by the president and formally registered. Paquiçamba is directly affected by the Belo Monte hydroelectric project and such federal demarcation of Indigenous land in the area was one of the conditions required for the project to receive environmental licensing.
“The blockades have delayed the completion of physical demarcation work, which includes georeferencing, the placement of boundary markers on the Indigenous Land, and the installation of signage,” a Funai spokesperson told Mongabay over email. “Given this situation, Funai is seeking legal measures to guarantee the continuation of the work, access to the border areas of the Indigenous Land, and the safety and integrity of the teams responsible for the activities.”
Even with support from the National Public Security Force, the spokesperson said clashes broke out between the blockaders and federal agents, interrupting their work.
Ya Juruna, an Indigenous person from Paquiçamba, told Mongabay over WhatsApp messages that the protesters are trying to block her community from receiving legal rights to their land, a goal they have been fighting to achieve for years. “It is important for people to know that the places they are claiming already have owners,” she said.
Brazil’s general elections were held on Oct. 4, and Juruna said the blockaders used the election season to advance their own agendas and turn non-Indigenous residents against the Indigenous people. “This is concerning because we have never had problems with these people, nor do we want to.”
Márcio Viana Rocha, a local mayor, posted an Instagram video from the site expressing his support for the blockaders. “Alongside state and federal authorities, and speaking as the mayor of Vitória do Xingu, I am affirming my commitment to all the farmers here in the Volta Grande do Xingu region,” he said. “This action being taken by Funai is an affront to our rural producers, and we cannot let it happen.”
Mongabay reached out to Rocha’s office for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Paquiçamba is roughly 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Land, which is also under intense pressure. More than 500 people invaded the area recently opening illegal roads, setting fires and threatening federal agents.
Banner image: A fisher sits outside his home on the banks of the Xingu River, near the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam in Altamira, Para state, Brazil. Image by Andre Penner/AP photo.
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