Blazing trails

from 1988 to 1990

As with the big ceremonies in the villages, after the big feast it’s time to get back to everyday tasks. With the victory of the Indian Chapter, guaranteeing historic rights in the new Citizen Constitution of 1988, the indigenous peoples resume their fight with new strategies. Now is the time to ensure that the guaranteed rights are put into practice, that the territories are fully occupied with a focus on the traditional economy for the autonomy of the communities. The assemblies continue to bring together representatives of various ethnic groups, both inside and outside the territories, to discuss the paths that will lead to a dignified life, with rights enshrined in law.

The Alliance of Forest Peoples is a historic milestone, an unlikely movement that brought together rubber tappers and indigenous people, who until then had been opponents in the dispute over territories in the Amazon. The proposal put structured by important leaders such as Chico Mendes and Ailton Krenak was presented in 1987 during the 1st National Meeting of Rubber Tappers. The Alliance grows stronger in the following years, even under the impact of Chico Mendes’ assassination, recognizing the common enemy that was destroying their traditional way of life: the standing forest. The combined effort ensured the maintenance of large areas of forest through the creation of Extractive Reserves, areas of common usufruct of the land, based on the traditional occupation of the territories by the indigenous population.

Another important trail blazed was the creation of the Forest Peoples’ Embassy in 1990. A cultural space installed in a historic building granted by the Secretariat of Culture under Mayor Luiza Erundina to host cultural events by traditional peoples. Through the course of almost four years, the Embassy promoted exhibitions, audiovisual shows, performances, courses, events and guided tours for schools, welcoming thousands of visitors.

At the same time, on a site on the outskirts of Goiânia, the Research and Training Program of the Núcleo de Cultura Indígena began to operate in partnership with the Catholic University of Goiás (UCG). The Indigenous Research Center, as it came to be known, aimed to combine traditional and academic knowledge, with exchanges and learning experiences involving indigenous scientists and scholars, students, and UCG professors. This pioneering initiative welcomed indigenous students from the Xavante, Suruí, Yanomami, Tikuna, Terena, Krenak, Pankararu and Kaingang peoples into academic and practical activities long before the quota program. The Research Center built alliances with many other nations and research centers such as Embrapa, Esalq, Instituto Gaia and Unicamp.

Another milestone of this period was the 1st Gathering of the Indigenous Nations of the Xingu, known as the Altamira Meeting. Convened by the Kayapó people of Pará in conjunction with UNI and other institutions, it took place in February 1989 and was attended by more than 600 indigenous people from all corners of Brazil, as well as attracting personalities, politicians and environmentalists. The meeting gave a voice to indigenous and riverside people to discuss government projects in indigenous territories and environmental protection and to protest against the construction of a set of hydroelectric dams on the Xingu River, a long-standing plan of the military government. The mobilization succeeded in halting the project for more than 10 years, but it was resumed in 2011, resulting in the construction of Belo Monte, an environmental disaster that had already been announced more than 30 years ago.