Brazilian indigenous victories

I invite you to know Rogerio Ferreira da Silva. He is a Brazilian indigenous man that belongs to ethnic group Terena, from the municipality of Miranda, in Mato Grosso do Sul. He is also a doctor: defended doctoral thesis at the State University of Londrina, Paraná, after doing a research that can contribute to the sustainability of agriculture.
Today the Terena people are about 19 thousand persons. They used to be farmers and continue preserving their ethnic identity. However, the recent population growth brings serious social problems, as the exodus to cities. As population density is high, the Terenas face subhuman conditions of work in farms and factories, diseases and general low quality of life.
Rogerio do not want this kind of life.

– The path of studies seemed a promising alternative for me. There is no better way to ensure respect than education and the understanding of the indigenous people`s dilemmas. My project is to contribute to a more just and dignified society.

Another person you must know about is Joaquim Yawanawa, the chief of the Yawanawa, from Acre - only 620 persons. He uses to travel to Europe and US for meetings with indigenous leaders, entrepreneurs and NGOs. His explanation:
– People that kept isolated, and are not seen, are forgotten and disregarded.
Joaquim studied in Rio Branco. There he met the CEO of Aveda, the multinational of cosmetics, who were interested in the red ink of the annatto seed. The result of the conversation is a successful partnership between the Yawanawa and Aveda.
The Yawanawa` chief studied English in Santa Barbara, California, and learned computer graphics in San Francisco. Aveda and his tribe are connected by satellite. Each year, the tribe exports about 4 tons of annatto.
More. Joaquim Yawanawa wrote and directed a documentary about his people that competed for a prize at the 2005 Sundance Festival.



These are only two men. The fact, however, is that Brazilian indigenous people have been able to absorb modern world innovations without abandoning their traditional culture. Oselio Messias, from Macuxi ethnic group, who is an agricultural technician in Roraima, says:
– The world turns and no one else believes it will be possible to live only doing crafts and fishing. Everybody wants to maintain the language, the typical food, but do not tolerate isolation.

Indigenous do not want only to be literate. They want to pilot jets and have knowledge in the field of quantum physics, conserving their traditions. They are active, organized and have achieved important advances. One example is the deployment of computing centers in three Tucanos’ villages, the seed of a digital corridor that will sprout in the Upper Rio Negro, at the Brazilian Amazon border with Venezuela and Colombia, a region inhabited by 22 ethnic groups.

In Brazil, since 1988, the Constitution makes no distinction between acculturated or not acculturated indigenous, guarantees them the possession of their lands, and obliges the Government to protect and enforce their property. It is true that one thing is what is on the paper and another what occurs in reality – a paradox not exclusive to Brazil or of indigenous issues. In the real world, there are painful problems. The indigenous people, however, disseminate their needs domestically and internationally, seek support, and end up promoting change.

Don`t you think these are good news?