The Makuxi believe that they, and their neighbours the Ingarikó, are descended from the children of the sun, who left for their descendants the gift of fire, but also disease and the hardships of nature.
How do they live? The Makuxi are a hunting and farming people
living in the hilly border country between Brazil and Guyana. It is a
spectacularly beautiful region of mountains, tropical forest and
savanna, where they raise cattle. During the long dry summer months,
they hunt, fish in any rivers that are not dried up, and visit
neighbouring villages. This is also when they build and repair their
houses, which they make from wood, clay and palm leaves. The winter,
from May to September, is a period of very heavy rain, making many of
their summer activities impossible. Makuxi communities vary greatly in
size, and are based on ties of marriage and family - when Makuxi marry,
the couple live in the bride's family's village. Extended families hunt
together, but each household grows its own crops for personal use.
What problems do
they face? The Makuxi have endured vicious violence and the theft of
their land since colonisation in the 18th century. Today, they suffer
particularly from the invasion of a group of rice farmers, who not only destroy their land, and expose them to disease, but also intimidate them with extreme violence.
Survival's long campaign for Makuxi land rights reached a triumphant
conclusion on 15 April 2005, when Brazil's President signed into law
the ratification (legal protection) of their land, a spectacular area
of savannahs, mountains and waterfalls. The territory, called
Raposa-Serra do Sol, had been the object of a sustained and violent
campaign by local ranchers and settlers to stop the Indians winning it
back. Over twenty Indians had been killed and hundreds injured during
the Indians' tireless struggle to reclaim their ancestral land.
Whilst most ranchers and some rice farmers have now left the territory on receipt of compensation from the government, a group of rice farmers refuses to leave despite various attempts by the police to remove them. Their illegal actions are supported by a group of powerful local politicians.
How can I help?
Click
here to write a letter to the Brazilian head of the Supreme Court who is involved in the matter.
Click
here to donate to Survival.
Click
here to write to your MP or MEP (UK).
Click
here to write to the President, your senators, congressmen or other elected officials (US).
Write to your local Brazilian embassy, click
here to find out the address.
