By Edson Krenak Naknanuk (Krenak, CS Staff)
"We want peace in our territories," shouted Indigenous women marchers in Brazil’s capital city of Brasilia on September 7-11, 2021.
For the second time, Indigenous women from all over the country, representing their biomes and families, organized the Indigenous Women’s March in the capital city Brasília. The first march was held in 2019.
With a cry against the violence of the Brazilian State and those who attack and threaten Indigenous territories, Indigenous women, the "warrior women of ancestry", as they call themselves, took to the streets in Brasília in a large march that brought together more than 5,000 Indigenous leaders belonging to 172 Peoples.
Image from the event`s website representing the healing power of the women
This was an extremely important moment, as the important case of the Marco Temporal (timeframe) is pending decision at Brazil’s Supreme Court. The case was brought by anti-Indigenous groups and agribusinesses which seek to limit the rights of Indigenous Peoples and their sovereignty over their lands, territories and natural resources. The case involving Xokleng Peoples’ territory carries the potential to set a precedent for stripping territorial rights that were not officially recognized when the Brazilian Constitution was approved in 1988.
A young leader, Cristiane Pankararu (Pankararu) from APOINME (Northeast, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo Indigenous People Articulation)-- a Cultural Survival Keepers of the Earth Fund grant partner, said the demand this year is for peace and healing in her territories. Pankararu says, "We want peace in our territories."
The organization behind the women’s march is the National Articulation of Indigenous Women Ancestrality Warriors (ANMIGA) and is composed of Indigenous Women from all biomes in Brazil, bringing forth their shared knowledge, traditions, and struggles, which brought them together to fight for the rights and lives of Indigenous Peoples and their homes.
“Indigenous women bringing cure to Mother Earth.” Photos by Cristiane Pankararu.
