They People Too
I have a dream. Well, at least I had one. It will stay in the past tense for as long as the current president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, remains with his mindset that the deforestation of the Amazon is the key to increasing Brazil's wealth. Though his greed, my dream will never come true. For years I've always said I'd travel in the Amazon settle with one of the tribes and learn their way, in the hope to use their knowledge to create a better society. I dreamed that I'd represent the minority whenever I could. So here I am..
On his first day in office Brazil's current president, Jair Bolsonaro, loosened protective regulations that were placed in 1988. The regulations placed in order to protect the tribes from previous decades of violence and discrimination. The reserved land for the tribes which has been protected makes up 12,5% out of the 60%, which is within Brazil's territory, of the Amazon Rainforest.
After the election, Bolsonaro moved the demarcation of the indigenous land from FUNI to the Ministry of Agriculture. Bolsonaro claims that this was done to centralize offices. However, as the natives felt it was indeed an attack on them. Forcing the protection of these agencies to weaken. Bolsonaro had now opened leeway to the exploitation of the Amazon and importantly a daunting end to the tribes of the Amazon.
The natives of this country are under extreme danger, with these regulations loosened, the Tribes are faced with violence, conflict, and discrimination. Their land is also threatened by the exploitation of its richness. The plan to build dams will affect the food as well as the land of some of the tribes. Some will be forced to move due to deforestation and mining. As it is already, the tribes are faced with violence from illegal loggers and miners who now have easy access to the forest.
Routes such as the BR-319 allow people to easily access the forest. Although, it is not paved yet, it is literally a muddy route. Once paving has taken place the numbers will only increase. How are the Indians supposed to cope?
Tribes have protested and requested that the president protect their rights as the indigenous. The president seems to be less concerned about what they have to say and instead is focusing on bringing money into Brazil.
Which isn't the problem, bringing money into Brazil is something the country desperately needs. Yet, Bolsonaro is disregarding the federal constitution, the law, and is disrespecting their social organization, customs, and tradition land. This is what the indigenous want to change. They, too, was Brazil to get better economically but in the process be respectful to them and the lungs of the Earth in the same process.
One cannot say it is impossible. For when there's a will there's a way.
Honestly my heart is shattered. I want you to think about this as if your own home was being burnt. A place where your ancestors spent their past lives. Where you feel at home, connected and whole. I want you to do what is seemingly hard for people in today’s society; I want you to emphasize with them. Feel their pain as their home is stripped away from them. These tribesmen were willing to die for the Amazon, while most of us just read an article about it and shrugged it off. Long forgotten, I want you to feel the pain and I want you to turn that pain into something great and try to help them. This fire will remain in the history of these tribesmen forever but how long will it remain in ours.
On his first day in office Brazil's current president, Jair Bolsonaro, loosened protective regulations that were placed in 1988. The regulations placed in order to protect the tribes from previous decades of violence and discrimination. The reserved land for the tribes which has been protected makes up 12,5% out of the 60%, which is within Brazil's territory, of the Amazon Rainforest.
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| Map showing how much of the Amazon is Protected and for the Indigenous tribes. (LOOK AT HOW SMALL THESE AREAS ARE) |
After the election, Bolsonaro moved the demarcation of the indigenous land from FUNI to the Ministry of Agriculture. Bolsonaro claims that this was done to centralize offices. However, as the natives felt it was indeed an attack on them. Forcing the protection of these agencies to weaken. Bolsonaro had now opened leeway to the exploitation of the Amazon and importantly a daunting end to the tribes of the Amazon.
The natives of this country are under extreme danger, with these regulations loosened, the Tribes are faced with violence, conflict, and discrimination. Their land is also threatened by the exploitation of its richness. The plan to build dams will affect the food as well as the land of some of the tribes. Some will be forced to move due to deforestation and mining. As it is already, the tribes are faced with violence from illegal loggers and miners who now have easy access to the forest.
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| Deforestation in the Amazon |
Routes such as the BR-319 allow people to easily access the forest. Although, it is not paved yet, it is literally a muddy route. Once paving has taken place the numbers will only increase. How are the Indians supposed to cope?
Tribes have protested and requested that the president protect their rights as the indigenous. The president seems to be less concerned about what they have to say and instead is focusing on bringing money into Brazil.
 |
| Amazonian Tribe Protests against President Jair Bolsonaro |
Which isn't the problem, bringing money into Brazil is something the country desperately needs. Yet, Bolsonaro is disregarding the federal constitution, the law, and is disrespecting their social organization, customs, and tradition land. This is what the indigenous want to change. They, too, was Brazil to get better economically but in the process be respectful to them and the lungs of the Earth in the same process.
One cannot say it is impossible. For when there's a will there's a way.
Honestly my heart is shattered. I want you to think about this as if your own home was being burnt. A place where your ancestors spent their past lives. Where you feel at home, connected and whole. I want you to do what is seemingly hard for people in today’s society; I want you to emphasize with them. Feel their pain as their home is stripped away from them. These tribesmen were willing to die for the Amazon, while most of us just read an article about it and shrugged it off. Long forgotten, I want you to feel the pain and I want you to turn that pain into something great and try to help them. This fire will remain in the history of these tribesmen forever but how long will it remain in ours.
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