A-Infos (en) Brail, Capixaba, FACA: Statement from the Council of Leaders of the Guató People about the Fires that are Destroying Pantanal (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

The Espírito Santo Anarchist Federation (FACA) stands in solidarity with 
the comrades of the Guató People, an opportunity in which we disseminate 
the note made by them. We emphasize that only the unstoppable fight 
against capitalism and the state can guarantee a viable and sustainable 
future for the people who inhabit Guadakan and the entire Earth!
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We, the members of the Council of Leaders of the Guató People in 
Guadakan/Pantanal, went public so we can clear some things up and show 
where we stand on the issue of the fires that are destroying the plains 
of Pantanal.

First: We come from the oldest canoeira indigenous populations that have 
lived in Pantanal. Through more than 8 thousand years, we have never 
destroyed Guadakan, quite the contrary; we have always promoted the 
protection of the environment and positive changes in local landscapes. 
This is a sacred biome and our ancestral land where we can be what we 
are, a resilient, working and fighting originary population and 
protectors of this biodiversity.

Second: The fires that are going on in many places, as seen in 2020 and 
now in 2024, have no relation to any fire-based traditional land 
management technique used by originary peoples.These fires are caused by 
white folks who have settled in Guadakan and see the region as a space 
of opportunity for endless profit. In 2020, for instance, fires 
destroyed a large part of the vegetation cover of aeas that were 
traditionally occupied by the communities of the Aldeias Aterradinho and 
Barra do São Lourenço, and they almost reached Aldeia Uberaba.The fires 
have also affected and continue to affect areas where Guató communities 
suffer a damaging process of ethcnic easure both in the states of Mato 
Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul

Third: The lack of an effective and positive presence of the Brazilian 
State in Pantanal is part of an old political and economic project. It 
works so that the Guadakan remains a land where the law that prevails is 
the will of those in power, those who control economic power and have 
representatives in the powers that constitute the Republic. These 
powerful people have an access to the media and usually pose as 
defenders of nature and spread misinformation and lies about the climate 
crisis and the fires. The lack of an effective presence of the Brazilian 
State also leads to NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) being 
empowered and financed with resources from god-knows-where that promote 
the ethnic erasure of the Guató People, provoke misunderstanding and 
division within communities and spread lies about us. They impose upon 
many of our families and communities labels such as "traditional", 
"riverside people", "descendents of indigenous peoples", "isqueiras", 
"corixeiras", etc. Well, we know that a jaguar cub cannot be anything 
other than a jaguar. So sons and daughters of Guató mothers and fathers 
are Guató, and this should be something one should be proud of, never 
ashamed!

Fourth: The succesful experience of the Expedição Guató (Guató 
Expedition) and Expedição Técnica Guató (Guató Technical Expedition) 
carried on the the second half of april 2024 are positive examples of 
what we expect when we ask for a positive and efficient presence of the 
Brazilian State. These expeditions counted on the participation of the 
Brazilian Navy (6th Naval Distric and Flotilla of Mato Grosso), the 
Justice Court of Mato Grosso do Sul (represented by the Council for the 
Supervision of Special Courts), Special Secretary for Family Farming, 
Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Communities of SEMADESC (Office of 
the Envirionment, Development, Science, Technology and Inovation of Mato 
Grosso do Sul), GIZ (German Agency of International Cooperation), FUNAI 
(National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples), the Fedeal Public 
Ministery, AGRAER (Agency of Agrarian Development and Rural Extension), 
Foundation for Culture in Mato Grosso do Sul, researchers from 
universities and representatives of social movements. Because of this, 
the the  24rth of April of 2024 marks a new moment for the comunity of 
Aldeia Barra São Lourenço, long forgotten in the deep Pantanal where in 
1990, many of the families who lived there had their houses destroyed in 
a place called Acurizal. This was done by people working for the NGO 
Ecotrópica, which at the time claimed to be protectors of the Pantanal 
and its biodiversity.

Fifth: Since 1990, we have noticed the lack of support from NGOs that 
work with indigenous peoples. Until that decade, we have counted on the 
help of CIMI (Conselho Indigenista Missionário), Kaguateca (Associação 
de Índios Kaguateca Marçal de Souza) and other entities. They helped us 
with the struggles that were iniciated in 1976 in the city of Corumbá, 
which culminated with the regularization of the Guató Indigenous 
Territory in the Ínsua Island, where is located the Army Detachment of 
Porto Índio of the Brazilian Army, who we have a good relationship with.

Sixth: We know about the existence of the Ministry of the Indigenous 
Peoples, created in the beginning of the government of the President 
Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, but so far we have not seen any positive 
actions for our communities coming from it, not even a visit for them to 
understand the realities faced by the Guató People and our families. The 
news that reach us are mostly of political actions related to political 
parties in order to remove Prof. Elvisclei Polidório of his position as 
regional coordinator of FUNAI in the city of Campo Grande, to benefit 
family members of politicians and to launch candidates for the election 
this year. It would be great for our comminities if this miinistry or 
other governmental agencies could send us fuel and basic protection 
equipment so we can fight the fires.

Seventh: parlamentary initiatives aimed at approving certain laws such 
as the Zero Transport Law (Law n. 12. 197/2013) in Mato Grosso, the 
Pantanal Law Project in Mato Grosso do Sul and the proposal for the 
creation of the Pantanal Statute that is being discussed in the National 
Congress (PL n. 5.482/2020) among others were never elaborated in a way 
that considers our ways of living, and we were never consulted in the 
process of elaborating them. What we have seen is people posing as 
"experts" and defenders of Pantanal, avid for social media likes, shares 
and comments. So far, none of these people have come to our communities 
to see the reality faced by us our day-to-day lives and to listen to us 
regarding the protection and preservation of Pantanal and rescuing us in 
this moment when many parts of Guadakan are burning because of the fires.

Pantanal, July 1rst, 2024.

Coordination of the Council of Leaders of the Guató People

https://federacaocapixaba.noblogs.org/post/2024/07/06/nota-do-conselho-de-liderancas-do-povo-guato-sobre-os-incendios-que-destroem-o-pantanal/
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