Villages on indigenous land divided by mining enter a written agreement to stop activity

Divided by illegal mining, to the point of sabotage of electricity and transport, the villages of the Baú indigenous land, in the south of Pará, reached a written agreement to stop the illegal activities of extraction of gold and wood in the territory.

The agreement was signed on September 23 and had the participation of leaders from both the village that fights mining and the village that allows the action of invaders of the indigenous land.

The first item of the agreement is: “There will be no illicit activity in IT [terra indígena] Baú, whether mining or wood extraction, as well as any other activity that contravenes current legislation”.

Report published by Sheet on August 7 it showed that criminal mining caused a division in the territory of the Kayapó Mekrãgnoti indigenous people (they call themselves Mebemgôkre).

The mother village, which is also called Baú, has become a focus of resistance to illegal gold extraction. Members of other villages, especially Kamaú, became permissive to prospectors.

The division, a reflection of the persistent policy of the Jair Bolsonaro government (PL) to encourage mining in indigenous lands, completely altered the routine of the place.

One side insists on sustainable extractivism –in particular the collection of cumaru and chestnuts–, hunting and fishing. The other started to allow miners in the territory, which caused the contamination of the waters of the Curuá River. The river started to have a grayish brown color, with a milky appearance, characteristic of mining areas.

On one side of the river, it is possible to see the area degraded by mining, in the territory of the Kamaú village. On the other side is the untouched forest on the territory of the Baú village.

Nearby, the two villages have parties and relatives that connect them. Illegal mining has been breaking this connection.

Therefore, the agreement made is seen as an advance by the parties involved, especially in the group opposed to mining.

The two sides, however, say that the agreement will be difficult to execute, both because of the persistence of illegal mining and the difficulty of the federal government in destroying the logistics of the garimpeiros, such as clandestine airstrips.

The signing of the agreement took place after a meeting on the same day at the base of the operation Guardians of the Bioma, in Novo Progresso (PA), the city closest to the accesses to the indigenous land. The operation is conducted by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security.

Representative of the operation in the region, Wedsney Lopes Rogerio signed the term, as well as members of Funai (National Indian Foundation).

According to Rogerio, there were episodes of retaliation due to the animosity between the two villages. The ministry representative says that, in the Kamaú village, there was an interruption of the energy supplied to the Baú village. There was also damage to a ferry that the Baú Indians used to cross the river.

The sabotage would have occurred in response to the action of members of the Baú village against illegal gold mining, according to Rogerio.

“The village was without power for almost a month,” he says. “And the indigenous people had to make a new access, to avoid passing through Kamaú.”

The escalation of division between the villages led to the initiative of an attempt to reach an agreement, after actions by the PF to remove miners from an area known as Pista Nova.

Under the agreement, the surveillance base on Pista Nova will be maintained, which is operated by the Baú village side, more specifically by the Kabu institute, which represents the indigenous people. The Kamaú village was authorized to install a surveillance base on the same site.

A request for the destruction of the airstrip that supports the garimpeiros will be requested from the PF, according to the agreement signed by the indigenous leaders. The deadline is 45 days, which can be extended, given the logistical difficulties for actions of this type. Other airstrips could be destroyed, cites the agreement made.

“All threats and attacks between the two villages will immediately cease, and in the event of any incident, it will be reported immediately to the authorities,” the document states. In 40 days, a new meeting will assess whether the agreement has been fulfilled.

THE Sheet tried to contact indigenous people and leaders who signed the agreement, but got no answers.

In the article published in August, chief Bepdjô Mekragnotire, from the Baú village, stated: “In our struggle, we do not accept mining or loggers. We are protecting the area. miners and loggers”. He is one of the signatories of the agreement.

Another signatory is Adriano Amorim, representative of the Mantinó association, who claims to represent the villages of the Baú land, except for the Baú village.

Amorim admitted in August that “some indigenous people sold out, about five or six.” “Today, they no longer work. [com o garimpo ilegal]”, he stated.

“All Baú land wants to work with extractivism. After villages left the Kabu Institute, there was an infiltration of miners, and they are looking for gold. leaders”, said the association leader at the time.