Txai Surui speaks of resistance of indigenous peoples at national award ceremony: ‘We struggle with our lives’

Marcela Leiros – Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – The indigenous of the Paiter-Suruí people, from Rondônia (RO), Txai Suruí was honored last Sunday, 25th, during the award “Best of the Year”, from Globo Television Network. She and her mother, Neidinha, were highlighted for their work with the indigenous and environmental cause.

The young activist from Rondônia, the only Brazilian to speak at the opening of the COP26, in 2021, dedicated the award to the indigenous peoples and praised their resistance and struggle.

“I would like to dedicate this tribute to my people, to all the indigenous peoples of this country who, long before these four years, for over 500 years, have been fighting for our territories, so that we can continue living, for the life of all of us. That means standing forest”, she said touched.

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Txai also cited the recent case of the Guarani Kaiowá indigenous woman who was assassinated in Mato Grosso do Sul and the isolated indigenous peoples in Rondônia who are under pressure. The Sirad-I report from the Socio-environmental Institute (ISA) pointed out that the months of July and August saw the greatest deforestation in Indigenous Lands with isolated peoples since the beginning of 2022, with the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau Indigenous Land (RO) being the territory that suffered most from illegal burning and deforestation.

“I could not come up here without making this denunciation, because this territory, this ground that we are treading on, is indigenous land. And we, during these last four years, who have been putting up resistance, who are on the front lines, fighting with our lives”, she added.

Transition

The struggle of the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau indigenous people, from Rondonia, to defend their territory from invaders has ended up at the Oscars. The Hollywood Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced last week the film “The Territory” among pre-nominated in the category of best feature documentary.

Read also: 24-time award-winning, RO-made film ‘The Territory’ is a hit at COP27

Directed by American Alex Pritz, the feature had activist Txai Suruí in executive production, Darren Aronofsky (director of films like “Mother!” and “Black Swan”) among the producers and Tangãi Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau in the direction of photography. The film follows young leaders, such as Bitaté Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau, who monitors the territory using drones and social networks, and Neidinha, who has worked with the indigenous people for decades.