Indigenous Rights March in Brazil

Thousands of indigenous people marched in the capital of Brazil to demand security and the demarcation of their lands, an issue that pits the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against the conservative-majority parliament.

"There is an indigenous emergency," Jaqueline Arandurah, leader of the Guarani Kaiowá people located in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul said. "It's been more than 400 days since Lula's government and our lands were not demarcated," she concluded.

The leader pointed out that she is marching "to tell the Brazilian government that it is necessary to guarantee the rights of indigenous peoples to mitigate violence" in ancestral territories.

The delimitation of indigenous lands was a campaign promise of Lula, who since he returned to power in January 2023 resumed that policy abandoned by his far-right predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.

So far, ten new indigenous lands have been approved by the leftist government, including two announced last week, but protesters are demanding more action.

The monumental Esplanade of the Ministries in Brazil saw feather headdresses, bows and arrows wander, while men and women from different indigenous peoples of Brazil - some covered with traditional pigments - walked towards the National Congress, where a solemn session was held.

The march included dancing and singing, within the framework of the annual Free Land camp that takes place in the Brazilian capital this week.

Land demarcation is a contentious issue in Brazil. Its critics focus on powerful agribusiness and its allies in Congress, who maintained in law a controversial thesis that limits the rights of indigenous people over their territories.

The Supreme Federal Court had already declared this thesis unconstitutional last September, but now must repeat the debate on the new law.