The Federal Court suspended on Tuesday (30) the injunction that forced the Indians out of an area on the farm Cambará in Iguatemi, which is south of Mato Grosso do Sul.
The case gained notoriaty after the disclosure of a letter from the indigenous people living in the area. In the text, they vowed to resist any attempt to vacate the site. "As an indigenous people and with our indigenous history we decided collectively to stay here and risk our lives for what we believe in." said community leader, Pyelito kue-Mbarakay.
The expulsion of the Indians had been requested to the Justices in January this year by the owner of the farm and was accepted in September by Federal Judge Sergio Bonachela, of Ashland (MS).
The suspension of this injunction was decreed by a federal judge, Cecilia Mello, the TRF-3 (Federal Regional Court of the 3rd Region), based in Sao Paulo.
The judge found that the region is traditionally occupied by the Indians and that "no one has, to date, confirmation of who are the real owners of the land. That's because the Funai (National Indian Foundation) are still working on a study to delineate the indigenous lands - work that began in 2008 but was not completed until now."
In her decision, Judge Mello also said that the presence of the Indians "does not interfere in the activity of the Cambará farm, because the total area of land is more than 760 hectares."
The new ruling allows for the Guarani-caiová Indians to stay in an area of one hectare (or ten thousand square meters) until the end of the scoping studies. Funai, in turn, is required to complete the studies "as soon as possible."
Please take a minute to sign the petition below to support the position of the Indians to stay on their land.
Great news.
....But that doesn't mean it's over.
Keep up the prayers, petitions and pressure, people!
Share such stories for survival.
Respect rights and we can hope this will end as it should - as it began, with these people being left to live their lives their own, harmless way on the land they've lived with for uncountable hundreds of years.
Isn't there enough land for everybody to live on? If you have to get technical,who was there first? My goodness does it always have to be about how much land I can own and I can see it for miles and miles and nobody is to tresspass?
1 out of 760 hectares? That's all? Sheesh! I hope it's enough...
The land belongs to no one we are all just caretakers until we go home
The land is a part of their belief system, it is a part of them. To seperate them from it, is to seperate them from themselves. That is why they choose to die rather than leave. They are a part of us, if they take their lives in order to stay on the land, we will loose a part of ourselves. Though, their spirits will live on the land forever, we will feel the loss of them, and an emptiness we will never fill. Katherine
may this be forever !!!
The Waorani-Kaiowa are pleading for 1 hectare vs. 760 claimed by private interests. Who are these "private interests" who can't seem to get enough, and are willing to destroy a culture to nurture their greed? This tribe was obviously rooted in the entire area for millenia. Someone should shed light on how the rest of their land was taken from them.
The Jaguar eats what God has provided, then rests; but the greedy are never satisfied.
Stephen Orozco, Santa Ana, CA. EUA
Leave these people in peace to live on their land. You have already ruined so many underdeveloped counties in order to hoard it's riches without considering what you are doing to the people that live their and their enthronement. How would you like to have you and your family pulled out of your homes and property for people who don't belong there? I will sign this petition and keep passing it to others. You have no right to claim other peoples property. You have created so much pollution and have poisoned the land and water. Believe me when it's time to meet your creator no money, no gold or diamonds or oil will get you off the hook.