In the DF, indigenous people and authorities revere the memory of Bruno and Dom

The Wahanararai chant filled the space with emotion. The chanted verses became known for the recording of the indigenist Bruno Pereira, murdered a year ago in the Javari Valley. The British journalist Dom Phillips was also killed on that June 5, 2022. This Monday (5), in the space known as “Maloca”, at the University of Brasília (UnB), indigenous and non-indigenous representatives and federal government authorities honored and revered Bruno and Dom and discussed measures to improve security in Vale do Javari. The event also brought criticism to the Temporal Framework thesis, under discussion in the Legislative and Judiciary. The anthropologist Beatriz Matos, widow of Bruno Pereira, moved, recalled that after the murder, the feeling was of despair. “How are we going to stay here in this country?”. Then he looked again. Brasília (DF), 06/05/2023 – Beatriz de Almeida Matos, wife of indigenist Bruno Pereira, during a tribute to commemorate the one year since the death of indigenist Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips. Photo Valter Campanato/Agência Brasil. – Valter Campanato/Agência Brasil She said that, currently, Brazil has been seeking a national policy to combat drug trafficking in partnership with indigenous leaders. “They have helped to design and think about new policies. This was unimaginable before,” she stated. The Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, was in Maloca and recalled that, since her youth, she followed stories of deaths in the Amazon. Then she remembered Chico Mendes, who died in 1988; the nun Dorothy Stang, murdered in 2005; and Maxciel Pereira, Funai employee, who died in 2019, before Bruno and Dom. Brasília (DF), 06/05/2023 – Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, speaks to EBC, during a tribute ceremony to commemorate the one year since the death of indigenist Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips. Photo Valter Campanato/Agência – Valter Campanato/Agência Brasil “The tribute being paid here to the memory of Dom and Bruno is fundamental. It is as if we were paying tribute to all those who defended the Amazon, the original peoples and the Brazilian environment at the sacrifice of their own lives”. She argues that there must be a commitment so that all this sacrifice is not in vain and, therefore, cannot be forgotten. The minister warned about the impact that there may be with the approval of the Temporal Framework. “Today, we have scientific knowledge that shows that 80% of protected forests are under the control of indigenous and traditional populations. They are the greatest defenders of our forests and our biodiversity”. Bill 490/07 deals with the timeframe for the demarcation of indigenous lands. If approved, indigenous and traditional peoples will have the right only to the lands they occupied until October 5, 1988, date of enactment of the Federal Constitution. The text was approved in the House at the end of May and went to the Senate for consideration. Marina mentioned that deforestation within indigenous lands is only 1%. “A highly advanced and sophisticated way of life to protect what is essential for maintaining the planet’s ecosystem services.” Brasília (DF), 06/05/2023 – Beatriz de Almeida Matos, wife of indigenist Bruno Pereira, and the president of Funai, Joênia Wapichana, during a tribute to commemorate the one year since the death of indigenist Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips . Photo Valter Campanato/Agência Brasil. – Valter Campanato/Agência Brasil The president of the National Indian Foundation (Funai), Joênia Wapichana, guarantees that the government has sought to strengthen processes for land demarcation, in addition to trying to expand resources. “It takes financial investment and human resources. Funai has a scrapped staff after those previous years of dismantling the indigenist policy. There are few servers. We are in the process of preparing the public notice, planning for a public tender”. She understands that it is time to respond to society. “Bruno (who used to be a Funai employee) said that he wasn’t able to fulfill the institution’s mission. This cannot happen”. The indigenous Gílson Mayuruna remembered the songs, like the song Wahanararai, and the memories with his friend Bruno Pereira. He lives in Atalaia do Norte (AM). In Brasília, he explained that documents will be delivered this week to the authorities of the Three Powers with the situation in the region. Brasília (DF), 06/05/2023 – The indigenist Gilson Mayuruna, speaks to EBC, during a tribute to commemorate the one year since the death of the indigenist Bruno Pereira and the British journalist Dom Phillips. Photo Valter Campanato/Agência Brasil. – Valter Campanato/Agência Brasil “Bruno sang to celebrate unity and nature. We miss him a lot. The fact is that we are still very threatened. True, he thought he might die. But he was seized with courage”. Gilson remembers that their last meeting was a week before he and the journalist disappeared. “Like him, we have a lot of courage and we are asking for protection,” he said.

Agência Brasil