Hunter invasion threatens indigenous lives

The Javari Network, linked to the Observatory of Isolated and Recently Contacted Indigenous Peoples (OPI), denounced the invasion of hunters close to isolated indigenous people in the Indigenous Land (TI) Vale do Javari, in Amazonas.

These invaders are non-indigenous people who commercially hunt animals to sell the meat – unlike the original peoples, who only hunt for subsistence and are the only ones authorized to enjoy the flora and fauna in the territory.

The encounter of hunters with isolated indigenous people is potentially catastrophic, as it can end in conflict and murders. This is what happened in 1989, when three Korubo indigenous people, who were then living in voluntary isolation, were shot dead by non-indigenous hunters and fishermen.

“I’ve seen that loggers and hunters keep murdering Korubo Indians here in this region of the Javari Valley. So if the isolated Indians meet the hunters in that region, it causes a problem. They [caçadores] they kill, they shoot. Then no one talks and no one knows. But after that, the invaders disappear and continue hunting in that place,” he told Brazil in fact indigenous leader Alfredo Marubo.

Traces of the hunters

At the beginning of March, Alfredo Marubo and other indigenous people of the same ethnic group found traces of these invaders in the forest, such as plastic bags, boots and an improvised dwelling. They photographed everything and burned the plastic waste to avoid contaminating the soil.

“We found a trap on the animal path, where there is a lot of [uma espécie de roedor]. We continued walking and found salt. They left plastic where they salted meat. There’s a lot of plastic thrown around. Then we continued walking and saw a trail of isolated Indians”, said Alfredo Marubo.

Isolated and refugees

Isolated indigenous people are usually those who have had traumatic contact with non-indigenous people, and therefore decided to isolate themselves in remote areas of the forest. Their immune systems are much more susceptible to respiratory and infectious diseases.

The Javari Valley, the second largest IT in Brazil, is the region with the highest concentration of these peoples on the entire planet, with 19 records of isolated indigenous people.

Although it is almost entirely preserved, the area, which is almost the size of Portugal, is constantly threatened by loggers, hunters and miners, who organize themselves into armed gangs and are influential in local power.

The land that Bruno and Dom died trying to protect

Vale do Javari is the indigenous land where indigenous man Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips were murdered almost two years ago. Both were opposed to illegal commercial fishing, and that is why they were victims of a gang of illegal fishermen.

At the beginning of 2023, the federal government installed a floating base to reinforce security in the territory, but indigenous people in the region say that nothing has changed since the murders and demand more public policies aimed at their isolated relatives.

Observatory defends new protection bases

Manoel Chorimpa, from the Marubo people, who lives close to the place where traces of the hunters were found, is part of the Observatory of Isolated Indigenous People. He says that it is urgent to create new protective bases for monitoring invaders in the Javari Valley.

“The isolated groups don’t want to know about the reality of the cell phone, the notebook, the internet that we are having here. They are worried, they are living their lives and their lives are normal. It is not necessary to adhere to the system of the modern world that we are living, which is so problematic”, said Chorimpa.

Other side

The new report of the invasion of hunters was sent by the indigenous people to Funai. O Brazil in fact contacted the indigenous body, but had no response by the time the report was completed.

In January of this year, the federal government launched a plan coordinated by the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples that allocates R$13.9 million to repress crimes, expel invaders, destroy illegal installations, in addition to ensuring full inspection of the territory.

The plan has the support of at least 55 people from the Armed Forces, Federal Police, National Security Force, Funai, ICMBio and Ibama.

The objectives are the repression of crimes, extrusion of invaders, destruction of illegal installations, inspection, monitoring and surveillance to guarantee “full possession” and guarantee the “exclusive enjoyment of this Indigenous Land in favor of indigenous peoples”.

Editing: Thalita Pires