September 7th to 11th, several thousand women from 150 indigenous nations will gather to march together in Brasilia in support of the rights they are guaranteed in the Constitution of Brazil and against the « Time Frame » limit and other anti-indigenous policies of President Bolsonaro.

« We are seeking to guarantee our territories for present and future generations, defend the environment, this common good that guarantees our ways of life as part of humanity. 

In addition to being a physical resource that sustains us, it is also home to the spirits of forests, animals and the waters and  of life as a whole – the source of our ancestral knowledge. 

We state that indigenous women will be on the front line to bury once and for all the ‘time frame limit – the milestone thesis’, during the 2nd March of Indigenous Women »

– National Articulation of Indigenous Women Warriors of Ancestrality (Anmiga)

Concurrently, September 3rd to 11th, the IUCN World Conservation Congress is being held in Marseille, France. The proclaimed aim is to define proposals for the U.N. COP26 climate summit to be held in Scotland in November.

Indigenous community leaders from the nine countries in the Amazon region are calling for world leaders to protect 80% of the Amazon basin by 2025, saying urgent action is essential in order to stop deforestation from altering and degrading the Earth’s largest rainforest beyond any hope of recovery. 

Illegal logging and gold mining, as well as agribusiness and oil extraction are among the principal causes of ongoing deforestation that could, if the destruction continues, turn the Amazon forest into savanna.

Indigenous representatives insist that the governments of the countries in the Amazon region must outlaw extractive industrial activities in forests and protect indigenous lands.

In an interview with the IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Sônia Bône Guajajara – Executive Coordinator of the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations in the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB) stated:

« We have a living culture with traditions that strengthen our identity and our way of life. In order for us to live our culture, we need the forest standing, we need a living nature. So we are fighting every day. 

I think IUCN needs to recognize that the way of life of indigenous peoples contributes to the preservation and protection of the environment. Therefore, to think about conservation is to think first about the protection of cultural and social rights, guaranteeing the ways of life of indigenous people within their territories. »

Hopefully, the voices of indigenous wisdom will be heard by the corporate sponsors of the IUCN event: 

The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib) organized the « Struggle for Life » camp which gathered over six thousand people, from 176 indigenous nations, the largest mobilization in the history of the indigenous movement, from August 22nd in front of the Supreme Court to observe the judgment of the « Time Frame » limit that will define the future of the demarcation of Indigenous Lands and, ultimately, the future of the Amazon Rainforest. 

For now, there’s one vote against the « Time Frame » and in favor of Indigenous Peoples by Minister Edson Fachin who stated: « There is no greater legal certainty than complying with the Constitution. »

Indigenous rights are FUNDAMENTAL!

Minister Nunes Marques began his argument with no indication of which line he’s going to take. 

Voting will continue next week on the 15th.

« The « Time Frame » limit excludes the entire history of suffering that indigenous peoples have experienced since the invasion of Brazil. So we say no to the « time frame », but yes to the demarcation of indigenous lands! » 

• Ana Patté Xokleng

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