We Defended Our Right To the Land

“The Xokleng people of Santa Catarina state, after years of persecution, evictions and legal battles, have finally seen the rights to their ancestral lands endorsed by the state, with wide implications for other Indigenous group”

““We are not defenders of nature; we are nature defending itself.” These words from Yoko Kopacã, the 72-year-old leader of the Indigenous communities settling the Ibirama-Laklãnõ region in Santa Catarina, in southern Brazil, sum up the longstanding hope for justice in their struggle for land.”

“The conflict over the Xokleng land has endured for more than a century. The contested 37,000 hectares (91,500 acres) had been first established in 1914 by the then Indian Protection Service (SPI), which later became Funai, the National Indigenous People Foundation. However, the Santa Catarina authorities did not respect the agreement and a substantial portion of the land was taken without Indigenous consent.”

“However, non-Indigenous groups, including farmers, landowners and timber companies, still colonise the 37,000-hectare area. The Guardian saw several sections of deforested land with piles of cut-down trees. Instead of the araucaria tree, important to Indigenous people for its pine nuts and its role in the Atlantic Forest ecosystem, there are eucalyptus and pine plantations, which cater to the paper, pulp, and furniture industries and are considered “green deserts” by rights organisations.”