Brazil: Indigenous Leader of Xukuru-Kariri Assassinated While His Peoples’ Land Rights Are Continuously Weakened
Photo courtesy of Fabio Nascimento / Mobilização Nacional Indígena
On 11 October 2016, indigenous leader João Natalício Xukuru-Kariri was stabbed to death by unknown assailants. Having dedicated his whole life to his people’s struggle to reclaim their ancestral land, tragically, his assassination hardly comes at a surprise as indigenous activists trying to fend off land theft and forced resettlement are increasingly being targeted and systematically murdered. As their ancestral land is not only the primary source to sustain their livelihoods, but often also has spiritual significance, landgrabbing by governments or ‘agrobusinesses’ is one of the most urgent problems indigenous peoples in Brazil and throughout the region face.
Below is an article published by Survival International:
A Brazilian Indian leader at the forefront of his people’s struggle to reclaim their ancestral land has been assassinated.
João Natalício Xukuru-Kariri was reportedly stabbed to death outside his home. Reports suggest that two men killed João, but their identities have not been confirmed.
Seu João, as he was known, was heavily involved in the Xukuru-Kariri tribe’s campaign to live on their ancestral land, a right enshrined in Brazilian and international law.
Another Xukuru-Kariri leader told the Brazilian support group CIMI: “The region has a history of violence resulting from the land struggle. Seu João was a respected leader of our people.”
Land theft is the biggest problem the Xukuru-Kariri and other tribal peoples face. Around the world, industrialized society is stealing tribal lands in the pursuit of profit. But for tribal peoples, land is life. It fulfills all their material and spiritual needs.
Brazil’s Congress is currently debating a proposal to drastically weaken indigenous peoples’ land rights, which, if implemented, would be catastrophic for tribes nationwide and would further worsen their plight.
The key to indigenous peoples’ prosperity is to ensure their land remains under their control. The Xukuru-Kariri, alongside dozens of other tribes and their allies, are calling for the proposal to be scrapped.
Survival’s global call against the proposal, known as “PEC 215,” has so far generated over 13,000 protest emails to Brazil’s Congress.
