January 15 2020
Ongoing issues in Brazil
Indigenous tribe leader shot dead
Brazil is home to nearly about 305 indigenous tribes and almost all of the reserved land is in the Amazon rainforest. Brazil leader, Jair Bolsonaro has in many ways shown his hate for the ingigenous tribes on the land. Not only has he opened up several sections of the rainforest for illegal mining and foresting but he also pardons those who have been charged and says he is not letting indigenous tribes have “even 1cm for indigenous reserves.” Now imagine you're in your home knowing at any minute someone could storm in and take that all away with little to no consequences? That's how these tribes feel everyday; living in constant fear of illegal miners, putting themselves in danger just to protect what's rightfully theirs. A leader is someone who you should be able to look up to and trust not someone who makes you live in fear, a leader is fearless and would do anything for their people and that's exactly what the indigenous tribe leader, Paulo Paulino did fighting every last breath to protect his people and land. Earlier this year Paulino told Survival International: “It makes me so mad to see this [forest destruction]. These people think they can come here, into our home, and help themselves to our forest? No. We won’t allow it. We don’t break into their houses and rob them, do we? My blood is boiling. I’m so angry.”
How does the illegal mining and deforestation affect the rainforest and tribes?
By allowing illegal mining to go on in the amazon rainforest you're not only destroying land, you are destroying lives. In 37 cases, illegal artisanal mining took place in protected indigenous reserves, 18 of which were in Brazil. By allowing the mining, it greatly affects the surrounding environment because of high pollution: clearings are cut into forests (not to mention that amazon rainforest soaks up 25% of the world's carbon emissions and those emissions are being released back into the atmosphere when being cut down) , mining ponds carved into the earth, and mercury used in extraction is dumped in rivers, poisoning fish stocks and water supplies, as well as all nearby wildlife. In result to this indigenus tribes are losing their land, aren't able to have safe water supply and their food resources are limited; on top of land being wrongfully taken and abused, with the land they have left they have very little safe resources available. With not much being done; protection wise, to help these indigenous tribes they're forced to fight back (hence The forest guardian's) and in doing so lives are lost and more tragic losses continue.
A small view of just one of many mining sites in the amazon rainforest
How might something like this affect the history of indigenous people of the country?
When the first European colonists arrived in 1500, what is now Brazil was inhabited by an estimated 11 million Indians, living in about 2,000 tribes. Within the first century of contact, 90% were wiped out, mainly through diseases imported by the colonists, such as flu, measles and smallpox. In the following centuries, thousands more died, enslaved in the rubber and sugar cane plantations. - Brazillian indians retrived january 15 2020 from https://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/brazilian as we can see, dating back centuries the indigenous people of brazil have not been respected or cared for and with little being done we can see history repeating itself. Although the indigenous people may not face the exact same issues their hasn't been much change since then as aspects of respect. As for places like canada, Brazil naturally is about 20 years behind on development the government refuses to even try to understand reconciliation and respect. With indigeous tribes still facing these threats and the government refusing to recognize them as tribes by dong so it's almost as if they're being stripped of their history and their people; their land is sacred and apart of their natural history with so much being taken from them there only so much they can do before more people get hurt.
So what does Bolsonaro get out of all of this?
The simple answer is money, business and pleasure. Jair is known as the “trump of the tropics” he is targeting a specific group of people and is doing everything he can to take away what is rightfully theirs. He has opened up illegal mining and forestation in the amazon rainforest for profit because he know mining and agribusiness generates 23.5% of their GDP and not only does he pardon those who commit the crimes but he has open handedly taken over 788 million dollars in bribes. Within the first 100 days of being in office jair had set plans to do whatever he can to destroy the lives of the indigenous tribes in Brazil. For example “The president’s new agriculture minister is Tereza Cristina Corrêa da Costa Dias, a former head of the parliamentary agribusiness group, who accepted a campaign donation from a landowner previously charged with ordering the killing of an indigenous leader.” it sickens me how one who is supposed to be a leader and role model uses his powers for evil and is taking away such important history that is sacred to the indigenous tries on the land.
What action is being taken?
“FUNAI - National Indian Foundation (Brazil) - FUNAI, the National Indian Foundation, is the Brazilian government body that establishes and carries out policies relating to indigenous peoples”
FUNAI’s purpose is to make sure that indigenous peoples rights are respected as legally agreed in the Brazilian Constitution and the Indian Statute.
The department of FUNAI was founded by Sydney Possuelo, from result of witnessing death and disease brought out by government missions who seek to make contact with other isolated tribes.
Sydney Possuelo
Sydney possuelo is a Brazilian explorer, social activist and ethnographer (definition- the branch of anthropology that deals with the scientific description of individual human societies) who is known as the leading authority on Brazil's remaining isolated Indigenous Peoples.
His goal is to get in contact with isolated tribes in Brazil, and try his best to protect them from other threats
Sydney has received many prizes, which include- honors from the National Geographic Society, Bartolomeu de las Casas in 1998, a gold medal from the Royal Geographical Society, the title of "Hero of the Planet" by Time Kids Magazine, as well as "Hero of the year" 2001 by the United Nations.
How might this connect to canada?
The picture above is a picture of the pipeline plans to be put in The territory of the Wet’suwet’en in British Columbia; but the indigeous people fought back because land rights were never signed away by treaty or seized in war – and they still belong to indigenous nations who are fighting back against such projects they say they never agreed to. This caused an outrage in Canada with more than just the indigeous people, and Trudeau was “forced to contend with a barrage of angry questions.” I feel like this might be a bigger outrage in Canada because were seen as the country of peace and helping others then having our own prime minister act like doing such an act was okay was a lot more outrageous because this isn't something people would think as “normal” because Canada has come so far with reconciliation and respect towards the indigeous people. I felt like this connected to Brazil because although it may not be directly going through someone's “home” it is still their land that only they have the right to do anything with and having that almost taken is very disrespectful; It's ruining indigeous land, disturbing surrounding wildlife and essentially taking away indigneous rights to what's theirs.
Is the issue politically significant?
Personally I think that this is definitely politically significant. Why? Because this problem all leads back to Brazil's political leader, Jair Balsonaro. How can you just refuse to recognize indigenous tribes that have been around for centuries? This is an extreme impact that will most definitely be long lasting to the tribes as well as the environment. Thousands of indigenous tribes are put at risk and having a leader pardon murderagaisnt them is ethically SO wrong. It leaves so many families in constant fear and they have no protection but themselves. It's gotten so bad that it's now recognized on a global scale or else you wouldn't be reading about this issue all over the internet.
What can YOU do? Next steps…
Below is a link provided by the website survival. We need to educate ourselves on these problems and recognize what is being done, being able to know more as the next generation we can control the future and make sure history does repeat itself by growing, learning and respecting all tribes. In other words, we need to take a stand on protecting indigenous peoples and their lands and not continue to let people like Jair Bolsonaro walk all over whoever he wants.
Survival was first founded in 1969 in response to reports of the genocide of Brazilian Indians, and has continued to work in Brazil ever since.
Sites used
Agencies. (2019, December 8). Amazon indigenous leaders killed in Brazil drive-by shooting. Retrieved January 15, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/08/amazon-indigenous-leaders-killed-in-brazil-drive-by-shooting
Dominguez, C. (2019, November 3). Indigenous leader who protected rainforest in Brazil ambushed and killed. Retrieved January 15, 2020, from https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/02/americas/indigenous-leader-ambush/index.html
IWGIA condemns killing of indigenous leader in Brazil. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15, 2020, from https://www.iwgia.org/en/brazil
International, S. (n.d.). Brazilian Indians. Retrieved January 15, 2020, from https://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/brazilian
No comments:
Post a Comment