Pataxós demand land demarcation and government action against violence

The Pataxó people, located in the extreme south of Bahia, are asking for the demarcation of their territories amid clashes with landowners within the indigenous lands of Barra Velha do Monte Pascoal and Comexatibá.

The demarcation request comes amid several cases of violence against the local indigenous population, such as threats, ambushes and murders.

Last Tuesday (7/2), leaders of the Pataxó people held a demonstration in Brasília to ask for the demarcation of their territory located in the region of Porto Seguro. Indigenous people have lived in the area for about 20 years.

According to Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI)attacks against the Pataxó people intensified from June 2022, when the indigenous people began the process of self-demarcation of their territory.

In September last year, 14-year-old Gustavo Silva da Conceição was murdered while trying to flee from criminals in the Comexatibá indigenous land.

In Barra Velha land, the body of Pataxó indigenous Carlone Gonçalves da Silva, 26 years old, was found after missing for a month. There are suspicions that the young man was murdered by people linked to the ranchers.

Since the murder of Gustavo Pataxó, the government of Bahia created a working group with military police, civilians and firefighters to contain the wave of violence that hit the region. However, the indigenous denounce that little effort has been made to avoid cases of hostility.

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Leaders of the Pataxó people demanded the presence of the National Force from the National Secretary of Justice, Augusto de Arruda Botelho, on the 7th.

I received today at @JusticaGovBR important indigenous leaders to address issues related to security.

One statement struck me: “We spent 4 years trying to get into this building to talk. We couldn’t.”

That has changed, how nice to be part of these new times! pic.twitter.com/7aRMeFoZb2

— Augusto de Arruda Botelho (@augustodeAB) February 7, 2023

To Cimi, leaders of the Pataxó people report cases of violence. “They cowardly killed relatives here within their own territory. The vision [dos fazendeiros] it’s not just killing leadership, the vision today is to kill any indigenous person who leaves our territory”, said an indigenous person who did not have his identity revealed for security reasons.

The Barra Velha do Monte Pascoal land was delimited and identified by the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai) in 2009, but Comexatibá has been waiting for the agency’s response since 2015.

The post Pataxós demand land demarcation and government action against violence first appeared on Metropolises.