Despite UN Speech, Brazil’s Bolsonaro Lacks Majority Support of Indigenous Groups

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – Last week, in his speech to the United Nations’ General Assembly, President Jair Bolsonaro attacked those who he said wanted to keep the indigenous population of the country underdeveloped and poor. The President noted that his plans to develop the Amazon region, including indigenous territory, was supported by a “group of indigenous farmers”.

“The indigenous do not want to be poor landowners on rich lands. Especially from the richest lands in the world. This is the case of the Yanomâmi and Raposa Serra do Sol (indigenous) reserves. In these reserves, there is a great abundance of gold, diamond, uranium, niobium and rare earth,” said Bolsonaro during his speech, pledging to conduct development in these areas.

“Many communities are thirsting for development to take place without ideological and bureaucratic strings”, added President Bolsonaro.

The Brazilian leader pointed out several times during his speech that he had brought along to the General Assembly a representative of several indigenous tribes, youtuber Ysani Kalapalo, who supported the actions of the Brazilian government. According to Bolsonaro Kalapalo represented at least fifty-four indigenous peoples.

Bolsonaro also read a letter by a group calling themselves the Indigenous Farmers Group of Brazil.

“The Indigenous Farmers Group of Brazil, made up of several ethnic groups, and with representatives from all federation units, which inhabit an area of over 30 million hectares of the Brazilian territory, respectfully endorses Brazilian society’s full and unrestricted support for indigenous Ysani Kalapalo, here, from the Xingu Indigenous Park, Mato Grosso,” read the statement.

According to the group, Kalapalo went to New York “so that she may expose the whole reality lived by the indigenous peoples of Brazil, as well as to bring to light the current framework of lies propagated by the national and international media, which insists on making the indigenous peoples of Brazil an endless market reserve, meeting the foreign interests of countries who still see Brazil as a colony without rules and without sovereignty”.

But according to an extensive search conducted by The Rio Times, the group has not been officially created and has held only a single event, in February 2019, to celebrate the 2018/2019 crop harvest. This first meeting was held between February 11-13 of 2019 in Mato Grosso state, and included members of the Bacec and Matsene Kalore villages of the Parecis tribe. President Bolsonaro’s Environment Minister, Ricardo Salles, and Agriculture Minister, Tereza Cristina Correa da Costa Dias attended the event.

Hours after Bolsonaro’s speech, social networks were flooded with a list supposedly of fifty-two indigenous leaders who allegedly endorsed Kalapalo as the group’s representative. Some of those on the list, however, protested, denying they had been consulted about the text and asking for their names to be removed from the list.

Indigenous Women of the Xingu, the region where Kalapalo was born, also criticized President Bolsonaro, especially after he criticized Chief Raoni Metuktire.

“The President of the Republic of Brazil, since taking office, has been refusing to meet one of our greatest indigenous leaders in Brazil, the nationally and internationally recognized Raoni Metuktire. However, the president announces that he will include an indigenous woman without political expression among the indigenous peoples of Xingu in the government delegation to go to the UN,” said a document issued by the women.

“We deeply regret that Bolsonaro uses its lowest strategies to place an indigenous woman as its puppet. We do not want to be represented by these people,” concluded the letter.

According to the APIB (Brazil’s Indigenous Peoples Articulation) one of the largest indigenous organizations in the country, the Indigenous Farmers of Brazil does not represent the majority of indigenous peoples of the country. APIB also denounced Bolsonaro’s criticisim of Chief Raoni.

“We repudiate the ridiculous use made by Bolsonaro in his UN speech of a written manifestation of some Brazilian Indians, individuals who have difficulties in representing their peoples and communities, and who, due to personal interests, lend themselves to manipulation of this nature, without measuring the damaging consequences of their actions, such as the indigenous Ysani Kalapalo, as if her presence in the government entourage could give credence to the relevant and recognized international performance of our leader Raoni,” read the statement issued by the APIB.

Caiapó Chief Raoni Metuktire, 89, is one of the leading spokespersons for the indigenous cause worldwide. Earlier this year he was received by foreign leaders such as France’s President, Emmanuel Macron, and Pope Francis, and denounced the indigenous policies put forth by the Bolsonaro administration.

A day after being criticized at the UN by President Bolsonaro, Chief Raoni was applauded by lawmakers at Brazil’s Chamber of Representatives. During a press conference at the Lower House, the indigenous leader preached peace.

“Bolsonaro said I am not a leader. He is who is not a leader, and has to leave before something very bad happens, for the good of all,” said the Caiapó chief.

“My thinking is serene; my thinking is for peace. My discourse is for well-being, not to offend anyone. May everyone live with health, with peace,” said Raoni. “My struggle is in defense of indigenous peoples, for the survival of my children and grandchildren, for the land, for our life, for the environment,” concluded the indigenous chief.

Kalapalo, also present in Congress, criticized Chief Raoni, stating that most indigenous had asked for President Bolsonaro’s support and for “the freedom to explore their lands as they see fit”

“These indigenous want to develop. But there is a lot of manipulation by NGOs and far left-wing parties. It is manipulation to adhere to their ideology,” stated Kalapalo.

According to the YouTuber, NGOs are responsible for indoctrinating the indigenous populations of the country and turning them against the president.

The government’s Chamber leader, Major Vitor Hugo, agreed. “We have brought other indigenous leaders to reinforce what the President said: that there are several indigenous peoples’ leaders, with different positions, including those who want to move to a better country, support our government and want to produce and work on their land,” he said.

Bolsonaro’s government is expected to receive a lot more criticism in the days to come, due to its plans to open up indigenous territory to mining exploration.