Brasilia, Brazil – Yesterday, Brazil’s Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski issued a long-awaited declaratory order moving the Munduruku territory of Sawré Muybu in the Amazonian state of Pará towards definitive demarcation. The minister’s declaration is an important step in the Indigenous land demarcation process, a complex procedure composed of several stages. The declaratory order ratifies the limits of the Indigenous Land, which, in the case of Sawré Muybu, were established by Funai in 2013, and opens the way for the physical demarcation of the territory, the removal of non-Indigenous occupants and the final titling of the land.
The Munduruku have pushed the Brazilian government to recognize their claim to Sawré Muybu for 17 years, during which the territory has suffered from a range of illegal activities – including mining, logging, and land grabbing – while their leaders have undergone death threats and violence. The 180 sq. km territory on the banks of the middle Tapajós River basin is also threatened by planned government mega-infrastructure projects such as the Ferrogrão railway and the São Luiz do Tapajós hydroelectric dam. The Justice Minister’s declaration could significantly complicate the viability of these projects, while providing increased federal governance to drive land invaders off Sawré Muybu and protecting its communities.
At the ceremony, Minister Lewandowski told Munduruku leaders: “The Constitution imposes on us the duty to preserve not only the lands of Indigenous, ancestral peoples, but above all their culture, their way of life. We are not doing a favor, a kindness, we are recognizing a constitutional right.”
His statement comes at a time when Indigenous land rights are under withering assault in both Brazil’s congress and Supreme Court, severely undermining the federal government’s ability to fulfill its constitutional obligations to its native population.
Chief Juarez Saw of Sawré Muybu issued the following statement:
“Yesterday was a victory for all of us who depend on the forest, which means the whole world. For forest defenders, the Minister’s signature was very important in helping us to guarantee the preservation of nature and the standing forest. I was happy at that moment, but I was also sad because the government didn’t hear us for many years and during this time some of our leaders left us and were not able to witness this moment. Yesterday they were with us spiritually.”
Amazon Watch Brazil Legal Advisor Ana Carolina Alfinito stated:
“This is an enormous triumph for the Munduruku people, and for all of us who fight for Indigenous rights, for the forest, and for climate justice. It is proof that, even in the most ruthless of contexts, it is possible to achieve remarkable victories. Minister Lewandowski’s declaratory order officially recognizes that Sawré Muybu is traditional Munduruku territory and opens up the way for the removal of its unlawful, non-Indigenous occupants. We know, however, that the struggle is not over. The next stage of the demarcation process requires ongoing vigilance, as the land invaders may resist their removal and retaliate against the Munduruku. As we celebrate, the movement and its allies remain attentive, cautious, and mobilized.”
