“You are the origins of our country and will be given the great value you deserve,” says Lula at General Assembly of Indigenous Peoples in Roraima, Brazil

To work on a special line of credit for indigenous peoples to expand agriculture; to define a path towards rapid demarcation of qualified indigenous lands; to permanently remove miners from indigenous lands; to invest in health and education; and ensure continental efforts to protect the Amazon rainforest.

If we have enough money to fund businessmen, to fund family farming, to fund large landowners, I ask you: why isn’t there any money to fund indigenous peoples’ production?”

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil

These are just some of the commitments made by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva today (March 13), during his visit to the Lago Caracaranã Regional Center, in the state of Roraima’s Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous Lands. “You are the origins of our country, of our culture and of our race. From now on, you’ll be given the great value you deserve,” said the President during Brazil’s 52 ^nd General Assembly of Indigenous Peoples ( 52ª Assembleia Geral do Povos Indígenas ).

This was Lula’s second visit to the state since he took office. The first was in January, when – following the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of National Importance and in light of the humanitarian crisis faced by the Yanomami – he visited the Yanomami Indigenous Health House.

After being welcomed by indigenous children, youngsters and leaders, Lula visited a fair selling handicrafts and organic produce from the region. Next – while addressing Yanomami, Wai Wai, Yekuana, Wapichana, Macuxi, Sapará, Ingaricó, Taurepang and Patamona leaders and representatives of 17 organizations from over 32 indigenous lands in Roraima –, the President highlighted that the Brazilian federal government must establish a line of credit that allows these indigenous peoples to improve working conditions in agriculture.

“If we have enough money to fund businessmen, to fund family farming, to fund large landowners, why isn’t there any money to fund indigenous peoples’ production?” he asked.

“I promise you that, when I go back to Brasilia, I’ll deal with this subject with utmost care. I'm going to gather all the ministers who are involved in the field of production so that we may place you in a program to fund agricultural production, and so that you may improve and increase the things you produce,” said Lula.

As well as Mrs. Janja Lula da Silva, the President was accompanied by the ministers of the Communications Secretariat, Paulo Pimenta; of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, Márcio Macedo; of Health, Nísia Trindade; of Defense, José Múcio; of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara; and by the president of the National Indian Foundation ( Fundação Nacional do Índio/Funai ), Joenia Wapichana.

The General Coordinator of the Indigenous Council of Roraima ( Conselho Indígena de Roraima ), Edinho de Sousa; the leader of the Hutukara Yanomami Association ( Hutukara Associação Yanomami ), Davi Kopenawa; indigenous leaders; and other Roraima state leaders also participated in the event.

DEMARCATION – Lula highlighted that those who think that indigenous peoples are the ones occupying Brazilian lands are thoroughly mistaken. “When people say that indigenous peoples are occupying 14% of the national territory, they should remember that those indigenous peoples once owned 100% of this territory. So it’s not the indigenous people who are occupying 14%: it’s all the other people who are occupying 86% of a land that was once 100% owned by Brazilian indigenous peoples.”

The President requested Funai and the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples to rapidly present a list of lands that are undergoing advanced demarcation studies. “We must demarcate them soon, before other people take over – before they invent false documents, false deeds, and say they’re the owners,” he added.

Funai President Joenia Wapichana declared that the foundation is back on its feet – and added that the challenge, now, is to revive the cause of indigenous peoples in Brazil. “We have faced years and years of paralysis; years and years of dismantling, of scrapping. Now, Funai is back alongside indigenous peoples, participating in assemblies, carrying out partnership projects with indigenous organizations, and listening to indigenous peoples,” she stressed.

The Minister of Indigenous Peoples, in turn, said that participation of indigenous peoples’ representatives should be intensified in Brasilia. “This month we’re discussing the reestablishment of the National Council for Indigenous Policy [ Conselho Nacional de Política Indigenista ]. It favors equal participation of indigenous peoples and government bodies and is essential to putting a greater number of indigenous people in the spotlight – and indigenous peoples with adequate policies that meet our different realities,” said Sônia Guajajara.

When recalling his visit to the Yanomami Indigenous Health House in January, Lula stated that investments in health will be greater. “We’re going to invest a great deal in health so as to ensure that indigenous peoples may be systematically visited by doctors. We may even establish smaller health stations in each indigenous village, so people don’t have to travel 200, 300 kilometers to see a doctor,” he said.

The President also signaled that free medicine will be guaranteed. “Simply seeing patients and giving them prescriptions they can’t pay for – because they don’t have any money – doesn't make any sense. It’s up to the government to ensure that, as well as visits to the doctor, as well as exams, you may be given the medicine you need to be treated with dignity.”

Photo: Ricardo Stuckert / PR

AMAZON PARTNERSHIP – While declaring that no one has the right to cut down centuries-old trees in the Amazon, Lula added that the government is working hard to establishing meetings with the Presidents of Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia to “definitively discuss how we’re going to take care of the forests and transform the richness of the Amazon biodiversity to the benefit of the millions of people who live there.”

MAKING HISTORY – General Coordinator of the Indigenous Council of Roraima Edinho Batista de Souza – who belongs to the Macuxi ethnic group – stated that President Lula’s participation in the event was historic. “Your presence in Raposa Serra do Sol, which you yourself ratified, strengthens your commitment to indigenous peoples. It’s the first time in the 50 years of this assembly that the President has come to honor our event. This moment will shape the history of our generation, and of our steps towards even greater union, resistance and victories,” he said.

Lula was then given the official 52 ^nd General Assembly of Indigenous Peoples of Roraima letter by indigenous youngsters Bruno Henrique and Raquel Pereira Viana. The President and his wife Janja were also presented with handicrafts that represent the unity and resistance of indigenous peoples.