Indígenas correm de caminhonetes que avançam fazendo disparos (à esq.); homem mostra perna alvejada (à dir.) - Reprodução At least two individuals from the indigenous Guarani Kaiowá people were shot in attacks carried out by men in pick-up trucks in different regions of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul between Sunday (14) and Monday (15) The attacks took place after ancestral territories already demarcated were retaken by the Indigenous people last weekend Between Saturday night (13) and Sunday morning (14), a group of Guarani Kaiowá occupied an area of the Panambi-Lagoa Rica Indigenous Land in the town of Douradina armed attacks were recorded not only in the area retaken but in the four communities that currently make up the territory: Itay A video released by the Terra Vermelha Collective shows many pick-up trucks on a dirt road and Indigenous people running while gunshots are heard belonging to the Amambaipeguá I Indigenous Land was retaken by the Guarani Kaiowá Indigenous people in the early hours of Monday morning (15). an attack with similar characteristics besieged the area Brasil de Fato spoke to an Indigenous leader in the area denounced that the attack was carried out by “farmers from the region who invaded our community in gangs.” “They are shooting to kill and promising a massacre We are urgently asking for help,” the Indigenous organization warned. In a post on Instagram Aty Guasu tagged the Brazilian president's profile “The Guarani and Kaiowá people patiently waited when Lula said we would be a priority Now we will do several retake actions and we're facing bloodshed and death!" reads the post the Federal Police said they were “closely monitoring the case together with FUNAI [National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples] and the MPF [Federal Public Prosecutor's Office] the investigative phase has begun to clarify the facts." FUNAI was asked about the current situation and the demarcation process for both Indigenous lands but had not responded by the time this article was published the Panambi-Lagoa Rica Indigenous Land has been officially recognized identified and delimited over 12,100 hectares the demarcation process has not progressed – a declaratory decree and homologation have yet to be published It is because of these “long years of waiting” suffering threats and persecution from large state owners that surround us with their grain production” that a group of Indigenous people decided to retake part of their ancestral territory. FUNAI was still working on the process of contesting the landowners' claims which is a step that should have been concluded in mid-2012 from the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI “This negligence towards the Kaiowá people created two problems The first problem is that farmers started attacking Indigenous peoples And the second is a lawsuit that even questions the validity of the demarcation process,” he says. combined with ruralist pressure in the National Congress which approved the Timeframe Limitation Law (14.701/23) and is trying to strengthen it in a Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC 48/23) this has generated a feeling that not only is the government not going to homologate the lands but that the applicability of the timeframe limitation or any of these other tools of death will directly affect the demarcation processes,” says Matias Hampel The attacks last Sunday and Monday add to a history of murders of Indigenous people in the region these same groups of farmers attacked the Guyrakamby'i community and that they only failed to commit a massacre because the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office prevented them from doing so We ask for urgent help and for the state to guarantee our safety because we are on our ancestral territory,” Aty Guasu said in a statement. The Indigenous people are referring to an attack carried out by farmers in the Bocajá district in 2015, which resulted in the death of Semião Fernandes Vilhalva. At the time, Mato Grosso do Sul’s MPF opened an inquiry to investigate the possible formation of a private militia by landowners. The case entered the spotlight after the publication of WhatsApp messages in which the president of the Rio Brilhante Rural Union Luís Otávio Britto Fernandes called on “rural producers to unite and go to the place” where there was an “invaded farm." Caarapó and the memory of a massacre Delimited in 2016, the Dourados Amambaipeguá I Indigenous Land covers 55,400 hectares the Guarani Kaiowá live confined to an area of around 3,000 hectares. The shots fired from inside pick-up trucks on Monday (15) are reminiscent of an episode that took place in the same area eight years ago. The Caarapó Massacre was a response to the retaking of a traditional territory overlapped by the Yvu Farm around 70 gunmen met at the headquarters of Coamo one of the largest agro-industrial cooperatives in Latin America The attack was carried out at the behest of farmers Nelson Buainain Filho Indigenous man Clodiodi Aquileu Rodrigues de Souza was killed Since then, violence has not stopped. In February of this year, about five months after they had built an oga pissy (prayer house, in the Guarani language) in the retaken land of Kunumi Verá, the indigenous people saw their sacred space set on fire and reduced to ashes The perpetrators of the attack have not been identified. All original content produced and editorially authored by Brasil de Fato may be reproduced provided it is not altered and proper credit is given All original content produced and editorially authored by Brasil de Fato may be reproduced When the Diego Cuê Dam ruptured in the town of Caarapó deep in the southern tip of Brazil it wasn’t only flooding that the authorities had to manage is an important recreation space for residents and is perhaps Caarapó’s only tourist attraction The flooding of the lake therefore had major financial The town sought a comprehensive overhaul of the dam to restore the lakeside but it needed confidence in the accuracy of the new design to avoid costly construction rework. Caarapó had limited funds from tax collection and few resources to expend on innovation but key infrastructure such as the drainage system In 2015, during the rainy season, all of these factors combined to contribute to an overtopping failure as the water level exceeded the height of the dam and caused a rupture that flooded the surrounding Ayrton Senna Park Two years later, civil engineering firm Schettini Engenharia was tasked with designing a new dam using conventional 2D methodologies Schettini Engenharia launched a company dedicated to innovation in urban infrastructure development including the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) Schettini Engenharia revisited the Diego Cuê dam project and recognized the need for strategic partners with expertise in BIM and Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies including critical water infrastructure software from Autodesk the team created a holistic BIM and GIS solution that allowed them to test dam designs for safety and effectiveness well before the construction phase when it comes to innovating in public management and obtaining new technologies to improve life for their population,” says Figueiredo “The BIM solution we proposed improves how infrastructure projects are executed and operated supporting Caarapó in making more informed decisions about how to spend scarce public resources.” This digital solution also made it easier to review design models and monitor project execution enabling more sustainable construction and maintenance practices that would reduce costs and labor and bringing the dam restoration within the limits of town resources Saving time and costs were key aspects of the project solution which the project engineers organized into four disciplines: One reason to divide the work up like this was to help them decrease the processing required for each design file and streamline adjustments These 3D BIM models were based on the existing 2D plans by Schettini Engenharia and contextually enhanced with rainfall and water flow data, geotechnical data on soil and groundwater conditions, and topography surveying. The Geotechnical Modeler in Civil 3D helped to visualize and analyze geotechnical data including 3D visualizations of boreholes on top of the surface generated by the survey BIM Manager Matheus Lima de Barros established project management workflows and defined BIM uses and software standards to ensure interoperability between different tools – another critical benefit of the project solution “Many tests were done to ensure the interoperability of the required information especially the workflows that we noticed presented the biggest challenges,” says de Barros For example, the team performed interference checks by importing design models into Navisworks They found inconsistencies in some slope extensions and the location of certain pipe connections These were corrected before generating the designs for execution eliminating significant rework in the construction phase to save on costs and time For a dam break analysis that would help identify vulnerabilities, the final topography surface, pipes and spillway structure were exported from Civil 3D to InfoWorks ICM to run flood simulation scenarios To define accurate dam break scenarios in InfoWorks ICM Autodesk Systems Engineer Ryan Brown imported shapefiles from Civil 3D and surfaces from Civil 3D and Infraworks to create updated surface models with contextual detail. The dam itself was represented by a base linear structure object and the main outlet structure by a pipe and sluice gate according to dimensions from the previous 2D plans Regional hydrological inflow data between 1974-2009 was used to inform how the dam could perform given different rainfall and groundwater flows – that is whether it would risk overtopping or failure the model showed that the dam would operate normally Then the team created four scenarios to analyze the impact of a storm Leveraging water flow data describing a typical storm the first two scenarios simulated the dam if it were to fail – either partially or completely – due to water stress on surrounding soil and rock based on rising water levels in the dam lake The second two simulated how the dam could fail when the water surface flowed over the top of the dam – either partially or fully. “With all of these simulations and the background imagery layer I was able to see what areas would be inundated and if any adverse effects would take place,” says Brown none of these simulations really showed any kind of catastrophic downstream effect on structures or anything that looked important based on that visual feedback.” the simulations confirmed that the new dam design would protect the Aryton Senna Park in the event of storms and flooding Visualizing the project model was a vital step in the design review and the team ambitiously presented the design in augmented reality with the help of 3D BIM software Unity Reflect Review with users being able to visualize an accurate 3D model over the real-world site on their smartphones providing a clearer understanding of object behavior in the construction space and giving stakeholders greater security and confidence in the design “The choice to use Unity Reflect Review to review was the icing on the cake of our project,” says BIM Analyst Newton Caxeta “It delivers a 3D model that stakeholders can view from all angles giving an advanced technology experience that computer visualization alone cannot provide.” Construction on the dam began in June 2022 and InfoWorks ICM allowed the team to design effective drainage and perform simulations to confirm the safety and reliability of the new dam prior to construction. Supported by BIM methodologies in cloud documentation mapping design processes and overall project management this not only improved the design of the Diego Cuê dam it streamlined construction by significantly reducing errors and rework. The result was a meaningfully shortened project timeline with much-appreciated cost savings The project also established a new precedent for smart city engineering in Caarapó forging a path for how BIM and Autodesk tools can be used to make crucial improvements to the town’s water infrastructure we plan to apply similar methodologies to improving the drainage sewer and water supply systems in Caarapó,” says Schettini Engenharia’s Figueiredo we can make every city a smart city with better BIM solutions and stronger data for improved public services.” They’ve begun extending beyond that foundation by utilizing Autodesk’s Info360 Asset SaaS application which is designed to track and manage the assets for their developing drainage network As they noted during a class they taught to other water professionals at Autodesk University “Using InfoWorks ICM gave us confidence that we were on the right track as we were able to perform the most severe simulations to ensure the safety of this new dam quick and easy interoperability with Autodesk AEC Collection solutions resulted in less turnaround time than expected.” The Diego Cuê dam project illustrates the workflow benefits in validating the quality of water solutions using tools such as InfoWorks ICM benefits that make critical water infrastructure improvements more feasible for resource-strapped regions and we'll keep you updated about our top stories along with the best content we find online We only send out a newsletter when we have something interesting to share Farmers in Mato Grosso do Sul are responding with violence as Brazil’s Guarani-Kaiowá community attempt to occupy land they regard as theirs by right He has had two operations after a bullet pierced his intestine the 29-year-old teacher from the Guarani-Kaiowá indigenous community in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul tries to control his emotions as he recalls the day he was shot by local landowners Tension over land rights between the early inhabitants of the southern part of the state and the European-origin farmers who settled there in the 19th and 20th centuries is boiling over indigenous people seize private property they claim as their ancestral lands and farmers respond with deadly violence On 12 May, in the final hours of the government of President Dilma Rousseff, whose presidency has now been suspended, the indigenous affairs agency, Funai, finally approved a long-delayed report that would massively expand the Guarani-Kaiowá territory, from 3,600 hectares (8,900 acres) to 56,000. warning that the move would turn valuable agricultural land into unproductive rural ghettos On 12 June, dozens of Guarani-Kaiowá from the Caarapó indigenous reserve invaded the Fazenda Yvu a neighbouring farm that belongs to one of the founders of a local agricultural association in an act they describe as “retaking” their original lands After a day of failed negotiations between police at least 100 of the farmers returned on the morning of 14 June killing one of the Guarani-Kaiowá and wounding six others the Conselho Indigenista Missionário (Cimi) a Catholic organisation dedicated to the defence of indigenous rights reported that another group of Guarani-Kaiowá occupying farms around Caarapó had come under attack shot by a group suspected of links with local landowners Almeida says the attack is yet another example of the long history of “genocidal policies” of the Brazilian state which has sought to deny the rights of its indigenous peoples Land occupied by the Guarani-Kaiowá community in Mato Grosso do Sul red earth of Mato Grosso do Sul is fertile territory for growing soy much of the original backbreaking farm work was done by indigenous labourers Many lived and toiled on large estates in appalling conditions: the state labour ministry only granted indigenous people formal employment rights in 1999 While some Guarani-Kaiowá worked on white-owned farms others were herded into small indigenous reserves changes in farming techniques meant indigenous labour became increasingly redundant Intensive monocultures have also denuded much of the countryside rendering the Guaranai-Kaiowá’s hunter-gatherer lifestyle unviable The state has also procrastinated on its commitment, set out in the 1988 constitution, to demarcate larger permanent indigenous territories. “There has been a strategy of resistance by agribusiness and Congress to granting rights to indigenous people,” he says. “We have to ask: how much does this process of denying rights rather than seeking to resolve conflict contribute to the worsening of the situation?” However, for Tereza Cristina, a congresswoman from Mato Grosso do Sul, the government’s decision to approve the report was “an incitement” to the Guarani-Kaiowá to invade legally held private property. “There are some big producers in the region, but many are small and medium-sized landowners who have had the title to their land for 60, 70, sometimes 100 years,” she says. Read moreHer view is echoed by Maurício Rasslan a criminal lawyer based in the city of Dourados who has close ties to the agricultural community and diligently documents crimes committed by local indigenous people “There’s this view abroad of the poor Indians as unarmed alienated people who don’t know what they are doing,” he says Rasslan points to article 67 of the 1988 constitution which states that the demarcation process “will be concluded within five years” there is no validity to reserves created after 1993 “Anywhere in the world where the law does not rule Just hours after the killing of Clodiodi de Souza a group of Guarani-Kaiowá took three police officers and a truck driver hostage torturing them for several hours before they were released following mediation by an evangelical preacher hundreds of indigenous families occupied other properties in the area was in Caarapó when he heard that his small smashed up my house and killed all my animals Escobar has made only one trip back to his house Like many other smallholders in the region he expressed bewilderment at what appears to have been a sudden deterioration in the relationship between indigenous Brazilians and those of European descent “I never had any problem with any of them,” he says After the landowners withdrew in the wake of Clodiodi de Souza’s death the Guarani-Kaiowá reoccupied the Fazenda Yvu and buried the former health worker there His grave has been covered with concrete; a Brazilian flag spattered with red paint flutters above it The grave of Clodiodi Aquileu Rodrigues de Souza who was killed on 14 June in Tekohá Tey Jusu Photograph: Phil Clarke HillAnother victim of the attack in June lives in a tarpaulin-covered shack on one of the farm’s fields Doctors told him it would be more dangerous to remove the bullet lodged just above his heart than to leave it but he is in constant pain and has difficulty sleeping and believes it is up to the government to compensate the Guarani-Kaiowá for the destruction of their environment “The only way that we can live in peace with the white man is if they approve and register our land.” “I have never been so worried about my safety at the hands of those who are supposed to ‘serve and protect.’” The statement comes from Canadian journalist Renaud Philippe (39) who was attacked by armed men on Wednesday (22 November 2023) In an interview conducted by the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji) he described in detail the attack suffered within the borders of Brazil and Paraguay Renaud Philippe has worked in conflict zones around the world for 18 years and says he has never felt so threatened by the leniency of the security forces in his entire career such as this time "It's hard to understand that in a country like Brazil it would be impossible for us to rely on the police" The journalist was reporting on conflicts over land boundaries between indigenous communities and landowners While documenting the Aty Guaçu Assembly in the town of Caarapó Renaud Philippe and Ana Carolina Mira received information about a conflict over land reclamation in Iguatemi The researchers decided to go to that area and despite their intention to seek the support of the National Guard as they were informed by agents of the Department of Border Operations (DOF) that "nothing unusual" was happening in the area Renaud Philippe and Carol Mira were thrown to the ground the journalist's hair was cut with a knife by one of the attackers their car was looted and they had their work equipment stolen Carol Mira was threatened with having her hair and face cut with a knife Philippe and Mira managed to escape and drove about 120 km to the Amambai police station Renaud Philippe said that when they saw Military Police at the scene “While I was lying on the ground in the mud Carol called for help from the military police who were present during the attack The journalist added that while he was giving his statement he noticed two vehicles outside the police station: “The cars were marked with the name of the Maringá Farm According to the Report on Violence Against Indigenous Peoples in Brazil carried out by the Indigenous Missionary Council (Cimi) Mato Grosso do Sul recorded 78 cases of violence against indigenous peoples in 2021 There were also 24 cases of violence triggered by government omission highlighting an alarming situation that requires immediate action to ensure the protection of these communities the line between personal interests and political relationships is a thin one it is common for local politicians to also be landowners creating a scenario in which two antagonistic positions converge against the same groups: environmental activists the aggression they had suffered is directly linked to the lack of demarcation of indigenous lands “I have never been so worried about my safety at the hands of those who are supposed to ‘serve and protect’ it had been the indigenous people who have provided us with a safe space we are facing a real organization that is using the lack of legal recognition of indigenous lands to impose its agenda.” Philippe and Mira who have been documenting the realities of the Guarani and Kaiowá peoples for two years reported that hostility is constant in these lands leading them to develop specific strategies to ensure their safety while reporting in Mato Grosso do Sul The researchers decided to keep the purpose of their presence in the area secret and established rules such as not mentioning the reason for the visit and not using indigenous artifacts such as necklaces and bracelets They decided not to mention Carol's profession as an anthropologist to avoid any possible backlash the couple also adopted a strategy of constant movement avoiding staying in the same place for long periods of time journalists and communicators in indigenous demarcation zones are not isolated incidents provoked a response from national and international organizations working in defense of journalism and human rights the lack of effective action by public authorities in these regions could lead to limited protection for indigenous peoples These groups play a crucial role in preserving the environment and depend on the land for their livelihoods Renaud Philippe added: “The social climate has been very tense for a long time hostility towards the indigenous Guarani population has been a reality for more than 500 years intimidation; this violence takes many forms.” Renaud Philippe and Carol Mira emphasize the importance of information and the role of journalism the less we judge and the less we can close our eyes” They also reaffirm their commitment to inform: “Violence will not make us give in The wave of reports on the reality of the Guarani people in Brazil and elsewhere is enormous but our hearts are heavy when we realize that a white North American man has to be the victim of such an episode for the media to open their eyes to these documented realities.” Photo credits: Renaud Philippe and Carol Mira/Personal Archive A casa de reza em Kunumi foi finalizada no fim de 2023 depois de três meses de mutirão - Aty Guasu In less than a year, Guarani Kaiowá Indigenous from the retaken land named Kunumi Verá in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul have lost two Oga Pissy – prayer house and we didn’t get to extinguish the flames," says Simão Kaiowá the Great Assembly of the Guarani Kaiowá people The most recent arson was in February 2024 The Oga Pissy was built with the joint effort of twelve people men and women from the Indigenous community the indigenous people have been unable to rebuild the space Between 2019 and 2023, at least 13 Oga Pissy were destroyed in Indigenous territories and Indigenous lands retaken in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul, according to data from the reports on Violence Against Brazil's Indigenous Peoples organized by the Indigenous Missionary Council (Cimi Although called “prayer houses," these large circular spaces as explained by researcher and Cimi agent Matias Benno Rempel who accompanies the Guarani Kaiowá in Mato Grosso do Sul in their struggle for the right to their territory "It's a fundamental place of social organization where macro-families always meet to discuss their issues," he says the Oga Pissy works as a meeting point for the community to hold celebrations and make decisions a place where people meet to talk about their lives,” explains the researcher And precisely the political dimension of the Oga Pissy that encourages agribusiness advocates to use violence “They identify these spaces as places where we organize; then they go there and burn it,” Rempel explains a group of non-Indigenous people accompanied by military police invaded the Tarumã Indigenous Land "the group of attackers claimed to be complying with a court order for repossession The territory is under attack from land grabbers another Oga Pissyat in the Tarumã Indigenous Land was set on fire by hooded armed men residents of the Morro Alto Indigenous Land Those responsible for the arson were said to be people opposed to the demarcation of Indigenous lands according to information collected by CIMI from the community. Most records of this kind of violence come from Mato Grosso do Sul where the Guarani Kaiowá fight to retake their ancestral territory which is currently dominated by agribusiness “There are no conflicts in Mato Grosso do Sul; there is an ongoing massacre against this Indigenous people,” warns Rempel Of the 13 cases of destruction of prayer houses the report identified In the Rancho Jacaré Indigenous Land in the town of Lagoa Carapã (Mato Grosso do Sul state) since the Oga Pissy was burned down twice in 2021 “It was a religious dispute,” says Vanderleia Rocha we had to contact evangelical pastors to talk to people in the churches to respect our Oga Pissy But it was a troubled beginning,” he explains Rempel explains that, by retaking their ancestral land, one of the main constructions of the Guarani Kaiowá was the Oga Pissy “It is the element that unifies the worlds: the physical world and the world of the encantados [the spiritual beings] that keep the hope among the Guarani Kaiowá people.” That’s why the destruction of these places exceeds property violence being a cruel act of destruction targeting the culture of an Indigenous people centuries-old artifacts of the Guarani Kaiowá people have been lost along with the prayer houses," he points out "Magical items protected by prayers and guardians over time which protected destinies and ensured the harmony of the world." provided it is not altered and proper credit is given.