Prolonged action by the National Force in an area of ​​isolated indigenous peoples

The Ministry of Justice and Public Security extended for another 60 days the permanence of National Public Security Force agents in the so-called Pirititi Indigenous Land, in the south of Roraima. The measure is contained in Ministerial Ordinance No. 294, signed by Minister Flávio Dino and published in today’s Official Gazette (31) November 1, helping employees of the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai) to protect the reserve where a group of Indians called piruichichi (piriti) or tiquirá live in isolation. Located in the city of Rorainópolis, the area of ​​around 43 thousand hectares has not yet been demarcated by Funai. Therefore, it was not recognized by the federal government as Union land intended for exclusive indigenous use. Each hectare corresponds to the approximate measurements of an official football field. In order to protect the Piruichichi from the consequences of the invasion of the territory by loggers, land grabbers and settlers who live on the edges of the area, Funai issued, in 2012, an ordinance restricting the entry, movement and permanence of non-Indians in the area. Demarcation The ordinance should be in force until the conclusion of the administrative process of recognition of the Piruichichi Territory, but as this has not yet been concluded, it has been renewed every three years. The last renewal took place in October 2022. At the time, the Federal Public Ministry (MPF), which is filing a public civil action to force the Union to complete the demarcation process, announced that Funai had signed a court agreement agreeing to extend the measure restrictive for an indefinite period and committed to completing the identification and delimitation reports of the indigenous land by February 2025. According to Funai, the administrative interdiction allows control of access to the area, prohibiting any type of economic activity within the 43 thousand acre. The restriction does not apply to the Armed Forces and public security agents in the exercise of their functions, as long as they are duly accompanied by Funai officials. It is up to the Waimiri-Atroari Ethno-environmental Protection Front teams to monitor compliance with the norm. The area in question is close to the Waimiri-Atroari Indigenous Land, whose inhabitants the Piruichichi would be related. According to Funai, it was initially believed that the piruichichi would be protected within the area designated for the waimiri-atroari. Later studies, however, confirmed their presence outside the indigenous land approved in 1989. In 2011, when flying over the region, foundation employees saw malocas and swiddens made by the group outside the Waimiri-Atroari reserve. Still according to Funai, the interdiction of areas where groups of isolated Indians live aims to guarantee the right of these peoples to their territory, without the need to contact them, respecting the will of the group to keep distance from non-indigenous society, with which only makes occasional contacts. Once the presence of these groups is confirmed, Funai monitors the territory, respecting the physical and cultural survival strategies, as well as the group’s habits and customs. This policy has been adopted by the Brazilian government since the 1980s.

Agência Brasil