Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
send a message to the Xavante: “We will give you 200,000 reais (about US $90,000
dollars) if you return our equipment.” The body is not for sale.
The
waradzu
want to pay 5,000
reais
(about US $2,200 dollars) for each car. But
the Xavante say: “The body is not for sale.” The
waradzu
call Funai and say they
want their stuff. Funai wants to help the
waradzu
: “If you Indians keep the trucks,
we will stop the demarcation of your land!” How can they stop the demarcation of
our land because of cars and trucks? We want a meeting with the president of Funai
in Sangradouro, but the president wants to meet in the town, where it is safe. We
want Funai to explain why farmers can kill Indians and not go to jail. Why isn't Luis
Carlos in jail?
Funai comes to the meeting (August, 2003) and brings the police along. The Federal
Police, the Civil Police, even the Military Police! They bring their guns. Big guns, shot
guns, too. But the president doesn't come, he is afraid of us. All the guns, all the bombs
they bring do not help. The president sends Edson (Funai employee in Primavera do
Leste), but we don't want Edson, we want Eduardo Teixeira, the president. Funai asks
for the cars and no more road-blocks. How about Joaquim's body?
The Xavante are mad, they tell Funai to leave, they tell the police to go away! “If
we demarcate the land, we are giving you a gift, after stealing the cars and trucks.”
This is what one of Funai's directors told us, that the demarcation of the land is a
gift. (…) It is our right! We have rights in the Constitution, we have human rights
because we are human, too, we are not animals! We didn't steal the cars, no! We are
holding them because the farmers won't return the body! Why doesn't Funai ask
the farmers to give us the body, bones or ashes of our relation? But Funai likes the
farmers, it repeats the farmers' story: “Joaquim disappeared. A jaguar or an anaconda
killed him!” This is what Funai says, this is what the farmers say to humiliate us even
more! How can a jaguar or an anaconda kill a Xavante hunter? That does not exist!
Figure 6.15. Joaquim and Luis Carlos face an anaconda. By Timóteo Tserewarópá.
Can you find a topic and show us a true story in which a jaguar or an anaconda
killed a Xavante since the year 1500? No! We don't talk about disappearance, it is an
