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Indigenous peoples in Brazil

land

Brazilian Congress moves to limit Indigenous land claims 

​​​​​​​A bill making its way through the Legislature in Brazil could limit Indigenous land claims in the country, and potentially call into question large swaths of land already demarcated for Indian reservations.

Felled trees on Karipuna territory in the Amazonian state of Rondônia.

Lula empowers Brazil’s Indigenous peoples with their own ministry. But environmental protection remains a key concern.

Environment
An Indigenous protester aims his bow an arrow at police outside Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, June 22, 2021.

‘We will not leave Brasilia defeated’: Brazilian Indigenous groups mobilize to defend land rights 

Conflict & Justice
Gold sits in a pan moments after being torched to eliminate any mercury left, at an illegal mine the Amazon jungle, in the Itaituba area of Para state, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 21, 2020.

‘Mining kills’: A gold rush in Brazil threatens the Yanomami Indigenous people

Violence
The Belo Monte hydroelectric dam stands in the Xingu River in Altamira, Para state, Brazil, Friday, Sept. 6, 2019. 

Plan to divert water to Brazil’s Belo Monte dam threatens Indigenous peoples and wildlife

Environment
Yawalapiti Chief Aritana is seen in the Xingu National Park, Mato Grosso State, May 9, 2012.

Brazil’s Indigenous communities suffer grave losses from coronavirus 

COVID-19

More than 700 Indigenous people have died from the coronavirus while more than 27,000 have been infected across 155 tribes. The loss of many ancestral leaders is taking its toll. 

A muddy river runs through a green landscape. On one side are trees and a dense forest; the other is bare.

‘Our wealth is the forest’: Indigenous tribes are the last best hope for the Amazon

The Amazon's carbon tipping point

Indigenous people are engaged in a fierce battle to defend the Amazon forest from illegal logging, and it’s working. Deforestation in indigenous territories is much lower than in other areas. But those efforts are fraught with danger.

A dry brown patch of land is dotted with trees

A ‘Third Way’ to save the Amazon: make the standing forest itself more valuable

The Amazon's carbon tipping point

Brazil’s leading climatologist wants to change the way businesses view the Amazon. If standing trees become more valuable than cleared land, the forest can recover and continue to absorb greenhouse gases.

In Brazil, indigenous tribes are still struggling to protect the rainforest — and their culture

Environment

Brazil is rushing ahead with big economic development plans. It will host the soccer World Cup later this year, and the Olympics two years later. But all that progress is challenging the traditions — even the way of life — of the country’s indigenous people.Brazil is rushing ahead with big economic development plans. It will host the soccer World Cup later this year, and the Olympics two years later. But all that progress is challenging the traditions — even the way of life — of the country’s indigenous people.

H1N1 endangers Indians in the Amazon

Health & Medicine

The Venezuelan government has sealed off part of the country to stop H1N1 from devastating the Yanomami Indians.