Brazil considers demarcating a new Indigenous territory in the State of Amazonas

By Ana Cláudia Leocádio – From Cenarium

BRASÍLIA (DF) – A decree by the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai), published this Tuesday, 14th, in the Official Gazette, establishes a Technical Group (GT) to carry out complementary land tenure studies necessary for consolidating the Circumstantial Report on the Identification and Delimitation of the Kapyra Kanakury Indigenous Territory (IT). The territory is located in the municipality of Pauini, in the State of Amazonas, in the Rio Purus region, and is claimed by Indigenous peoples belonging to the Apurinã and Jamamadi ethnic groups.

The document, signed by the president of Funai, Joenia Wapchana, nominate six professionals to compose the GT, which will include a geographer, an zootechnician, a master in geography, a specialist in Indigenous affairs, a coordinator for the Regularisation of Indigenous Territory within the agency, and an administrative assistant representing the Government of Amazonas.

On April 26th 2024, Funai had already announced the formation of a GT for the demarcation of the Kapyra Kanakury IT, along with five other Indigenous lands. The current decree aims to promote complementary studies. These working groups are tasked with conducting multidisciplinary studies in the fields of ethno-history, anthropology, environment and cartography as part of the demarcation process.

Article 231 of the 1988 Constitution establishes that Indigenous Territory to be regularised by the public authorities must: 1) Be permanently inhabited; 2) Be essential for the productive activities of the Indigenous people; 3) Be vital for the preservation of resources necessary for their well-being; and 4) Be required for their physical and cultural reproduction.

Funai is the administrative body responsible for conducting the studies, which must follow the procedures set out in Decree 1775/1996. The entire process comprises seven stages: identification studies, Funai’s approval, contestation periods, boundary declarations, physical demarcation, homologation, and registration.

According to the Terras Indígenas portal, the Apurinã ethnicity belongs to the Arawak-Maipure linguistic branch, while the Jamamadi belongs to the Arawá branch.

Mamori IT, in Tapauá

Also in the Official Gazette edition of this Tuesday, 14th, another decree from the president of Funai altered the composition of the GT created in July 2024 to conduct anthropological, ethno-historical, sociological, legal, cartographic and environmental studies for the Mamori IT, which was previously called Trevo, Sabazinho, Boca do Jacaré, and Bela Vista. The land is claimed by the Apurinã, Paumari, Katukina, and Deni peoples in the municipality of Tapauá, also in the Rio Purus region of Amazonas.

Funai has set a deadline of 60 days for the coordinators of both GTs to deliver their study plans.

Read the decree:

Translated from Portuguese by Gustô Alves