São Paulo, Brazil – Two youths, Nawir Brito de Jesus, 17, and Samuel Cristiano do Amor Divino, 25, of Brazil’s Indigenous Pataxó people, were brutally murdered on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, in the municipality of Itabela, in southern Bahia state. The violence the Pataxó are experiencing is emblematic of what Indigenous peoples are facing in the country, from the south of Brazil to the northeast to the northern Amazonian region.
The crime occurred when the two young residents of Barra Velha Indigenous Land were traveling to a farm in a contested region claimed by the Pataxó people. According to witnesses, men on a motorcycle shot them in the back. Barra Velha is the site of intense conflicts with local ranchers, as Indigenous communities claim the region as their land. Chief Zeca Pataxó stated that “the situation certainly has to do with our process of retaking our lands.”
This type of brutality affects all Indigenous peoples in the country and is a consequence of the climate of violence and impunity fostered by the Bolsonaro administration, with major implications for Indigenous peoples and their lands. The response by the federal government under President Lula da Silva is notable because government agencies are now proactive in responding to these attacks.
Since last year, attacks linked to ranchers have mounted against the Pataxó, escalating to a brazen armed attack on an Indigenous school in August 2022. The village “Quero Ver,” in Barra Velha, was invaded in December 2022 by a group of armed men who, despite claiming to be police officers, wore hoods and failed to formally identify themselves as law enforcement. Indigenous community members have repeatedly reported threats of eviction from their lands amid acts of physical and psychological violence by gunmen at the behest of local businessmen.
After this week’s murders, the Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara, said she has requested the Ministry of Justice and Public Safety send the National Police Force to the location. “Yesterday, we lost two young Pataxó people due to conflict over land and a struggle for demarcation. My first meeting of the day will be with Indigenous leaders from southern Bahia. I will closely examine what has been happening in the region and I will request immediate action from the state,” said Minister Guajajara.
According to Eloy Terena, Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, an Emergency Office was created to monitor the conflicts in the region. With this office and the combined efforts of various ministries and the government of Bahia state, in dialogue with the Pataxó leaders, they have committed to monitoring the investigations and response measures.
The president of Brazil’s National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI), Joenia Wapichana, expressed her solidarity with the Pataxó people for the loss of the two youths. “The situation of violence in the south of Bahia needs to be stopped urgently,” Wapichana said, stating that she asked FUNAI to carry out “due monitoring of the case, with support and protection from the federal police.” “In the same way, I requested measures to ensure the protection of the Indigenous peoples of this region of Bahia and measures to guarantee that justice is served,” she concluded.
Ana Carolina Alfinito, Amazon Watch Legal Advisor and Defend the Defenders Program Coordinator, said, “We are appalled at these horrific killings and the continued threats that Indigenous Peoples in Brazil continue to face. Violence against Indigenous peoples in Brazil will not stop automatically with the new administration, as criminals were protected and strengthened throughout the Bolsonaro administration in various regions of Brazil. Having leaders like Sonia, Eloy, and Joenia today acting strongly as the public power for the protection of Indigenous peoples and guaranteeing their rights is a great and fundamental step.”
