Bolsonaro Says Indigenous Leader Raoni “Doesn’t Speak Our Language”

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – After criticizing Chief Raoni Metuktire at the United Nations General Assembly, President Jair Bolsonaro again questioned the indigenous leader’s position on Thursday, September 26th, and said that he “does not speak our language.” For Bolsonaro, Raoni does not express the wishes of all the Indians.

“Raoni speaks another language. He does not speak our language. He is a person who is at a certain advanced age; we are going to respect him as a citizen. But he does not speak for [all] the Indians. Each tribe has a chief,” the president told supporters when leaving the Palácio da Alvorada, one of the official residences of the President. “I took an Indigenous woman there [to the General Assembly], Ysani Kalapalo, there is no longer the monopoly of power by Raoni,” he said.

During his speech at the UN, Bolsonaro had already said that “Mr. Raoni’s monopoly is over.” He also praised Ysani Kalapalo as someone with “the prestige of indigenous leaders interested in development, empowerment, and leadership.” However, Ysani’s choice as a representative of indigenous people was questioned in a letter by 16 indigenous peoples living in the Xingu.

On Thursday, Bolsonaro recalled another document on indigenous people that he read during his speech to the UN. According to the president, the Indians “want to get out of slavery, out of the dependence of NGOs, ‘Bolsa Família’ and basic food basket. “The letter I read is very important and was not given prominence in the media. It is a letter from the indigenous farm producers,” he said.

Source: Estadão Conteúdo