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| Guarani mother and child
© João Ripper/Survival |
Marcos Veron, one of the most important leaders of the Guarani-Kaiowá tribe
in Brazil, has been killed by gunmen. Veron, aged approximately 70, is the third
Brazilian Indian to be murdered since the New Year. He was the head of a
community who had been trying for fifty years to recover their land after it was
seized by cattle ranchers.
In recent months the community had been living by the side of a highway,
having tried to re-occupy some of their land and been forced out by armed police
and soldiers.
In 2000 Veron toured Europe to publicise Survival's report on the history of
Brazilian Indians, Disinherited. He said then,
'The ranchers shoot at us, burn our houses and kill our children. They are
trying to get rid of us… so now we have to come all the way here to look for
our rights.' The loss of almost all their land to
cattle ranchers has precipitated a crisis in Guarani-Kaiowá society: they now
have one of the highest suicide rates in the world.
During his brief re-occupation of his ancestral land, Veron said, 'This
here is my life, my soul. If you take me away from this land, you take my life.'
Stephen Corry, Director of Survival, said today, 'Marcos's words have come
prophetically and tragically true. The terrible plight of the Guarani-Kaiowá,
and the many other tribes in Brazil without land, is the most urgent issue
facing the new President.'
Photos available to the press: for more information contact Miriam Ross (+44)
(0)20 7687 8734 or email mr@survival-international.org
Explore Stories & Lives and read the rest of Marcos Veron's speech.
Buy 'Disinherited' from our online store (to the right).
