Funai will combat the practice of leasing land in indigenous territories and experts support

Mencius Melo – Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – The president of the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI), Joenia Wapichana, will combat the leasing for exploitation of indigenous lands demarcated and belonging to native peoples. The practice violates Law No. 6.001, of January 19, 1973. The decision, announced in a recent interview with the Metrópoles portal, has won the support of anthropologists and other specialists.

In her speech, the person chosen to direct Funai, in the new government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), declared: “Land leasing is illegal because it doesn’t make sense to demarcate indigenous land to grant to third parties that are not indigenous”, she said. Joenia criticized the posture of “some indigenous people”. “We have to enforce the collective right, which prevails over the private interests of some people who want to lease or open indigenous lands for exploitation by third parties”, she condemned.

For the anthropologist Mr. Alvatir Carolino, the issue is not only economic, but also involves the culture of the people. “I support Joenia’s position. The leasing for exploitation of timber and non-timber forest resources, mining and even tourism activities cause not only problems to natural resources, but also produce implications for the symbolic systems that organize the social life of indigenous peoples”, observed the specialist.

Gold diggers

The anthropologist of Tikuna origin and Funai employee in the Amazon, Mislene Metchacuna, supports Joenia’s stance, but warns of the difficulties. “With this commitment by Joenia, we can be sure that the exclusive use of the territories by the native peoples will be effective. It may not be an entirely easy task because there are many “interested parties” who only aim at unsustainable economic exploitation and are often aligned with certain politicians”, she said.

Mislene is an agent in indigenism. Currently, she is the substitute regional coordinator at the Vale do Javari Regional Coordination. For her, Joenia’s origin will make a difference. “I am sure that, now, Funai will be led by a highly competent indigenous woman. The lease for exploitation of indigenous lands is never beneficial to any indigenous collectivity, on the contrary, it generates several impacts with the intensification of internal conflicts, mainly”, she said.

Example

A case that illustrates well the process of invasion of indigenous lands was what happened in Sangradouro, land of the Xavante ethnic group located in the municipalities of Poxoréu, Novo São Joaquim, and General Carneiro, in Mato Grosso. There, in 2020, technicians from Funai’s Environmental and Territorial Management Service (Segat) in Barra das Garças (MT) informed superiors in Brasília that a farmer had leased 70 hectares for soybean planting.

In spite of the fact that the technicians’ denunciation was supported by photos and interviews with indigenous people who actively participated in the negotiation of the land lease and sent directly to the General Coordination of Promotion of Ethnodevelopment, Cgetno, the professionals’ work was ignored for 22 months. The delay resulted in another 1,500 hectares of land being opened up for soybean planting in the heart of the Sangradouro Indigenous Land.