The tension in the reserve has been growing and the federal government has failed to find a solution for the impasse the ministry of infrastructure insists on keeping the current roadway which has already given way to a series of threats to the indigenous people On Nov. 19 last year, the government included the 121 km (75 mi) of dirt road of BR-158 carved into the Marãiwatsédé Indigenous Reserve on its list of priorities for future concessions “How [can the government] make a decision over the interstate without talking with us?” Damião Paridzané “You can’t cut down a tree here without asking us It seems as if they want to do everything without consulting with the Indians.” What remains now are “islands” with vestiges of unique vegetation characteristic of the transition between the biomes of the Amazon rainforest and the Cerrado savanna Cacique Damião’s passions flare when the subject turns to the government’s plan to pave the original trajectory of Interstate BR-158 which it had previously been agreed would be diverted to circumvent the reserve rather than cut through it: “When are they going to keep the promise they made the Xavante began a long negotiation with the National Department of Transportation Infrastructure (DNIT) the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Resources (IBAMA) and the Federal Public Ministry in order to define alternatives to the road’s original course It was decided at that time that Interstate BR-158 could be diverted to the east of the reserve Though progress since then was slow, the project advanced with environmental authorizations for the construction of the new trajectory But the Ministry of Infrastructure under the new president The ministry confirmed to Mongabay that the plan is indeed to pave the 121 km that cut through the reserve the ministry guaranteed that it would follow “all the legal formalities including the participation of the indigenous communities.” Others involved in the matter declined to comment including the secretary of infrastructure for Mato Grosso state and the offices of the mayors of Alto Boa Vista Bom Jesus do Araguaia and São Félix do Araguaia the municipalities that comprise the indigenous lands The Xavante’s fight for their lands is intimately connected to BR-158 The interstate symbolizes a trauma inflicted during a time of dictatorship: in 1966 around 400 members of the ethnic group were herded onto military planes and expelled from their territory The area was evacuated explicitly to enable the clearing of forest for BR-158 “The highway is part of the history of the Xavante and the fight to reclaim their territory,” says public prosecutor Wilson Rocha Assis He was part of the Federal Public Ministry in Barra do Garças where he worked for reparations for violations against the ethnic group He also participated in the development of the alternative trajectory for the highway and called the new administration’s insistence on sticking with the original course a “mistake.” “Veering east would be a win for everyone because it would diminish the threats to the Marãiwatsédé while integrating municipalities that are left out strengthening the local economy,” says Assis the decision to maintain the course of the interstate running through the indigenous land is he discussed the impasse with the director general of the National Department of Transportation Infrastructure and politicians from Mato Grosso allied with agribusiness — including Governor Mauro Mendes and federal representatives Neri Gueller and Carlos Fávaro of the ruralist caucus Last July, the Federal Public Ministry in Mato Grosso spoke up, demanding greater flexibility from the federal government in resolving the stalemate. It filed a lawsuit to force the government to shut down the stretch inside Marãiwatsédé paving the road would facilitate new invasions and other threats further suggesting that the Xavante demands do not move the federal government to action “Paving the road will have an irreparable impact on the landholding order in the region and make it impossible for the authorities to make good on their obligations to the Xavante,” federal prosecutor Everton Pereira Aguiar Araújo said in the lawsuit He also said ”there is an evident correlation between the existence of the roadway [BR-158] and the incidence of damages to the indigenous land,” and criticized the government’s priorities saying its “greatest concern is to maintain Interstate BR-158 and that all other issues are accidental.” The lawsuit is now circulating in the federal courts in Mato Grosso BR-158 was also the stage for a conflict that deeply scarred the Xavante people the largest invasion of the reserve took place right at the intersection with another highway where a village called Posto da Mata was founded the Supreme Court of Brazil (STF) ruled that the invaders be expelled the indigenous people retook the area with the support of law enforcement agencies and the Federal Public Ministry leading to a dangerous escalation in tensions “[The invaders] broke into FUNAI headquarters in Marãiwatsédé and set fire to everything — destroying documents equipment and whatever else was there,” says prosecutor Wilson Assis At the time, public figures like Damião Paridzané and the bishop emeritus of São Félix do Araguaia, Dom Pedro Casaldáliga faced death threats — no trivial matter in an area known to have assassins for hire and gunmen since the 1960s The Federal Public Ministry accused 13 people of being part of a criminal organization that had coordinated the invasions it alleged that this group manipulated public opinion in the municipalities neighboring the reserve like Alto Boa Vista and São Félix do Araguaia with the objective of favoring large-scale farmers and local politicians the current climate of tension serves only to weaken the indigenous people’s sovereignty over their lands In particular, the Xavante believe that the federal government wants to authorize the leasing of part of the reserve to ranchers in Araguaia-Xingu. President Bolsonaro has never made any attempt to hide his support for the idea of leasing out indigenous lands “Do they think we’re fools?” Damião said real help from FUNAI to take care of our land.” This story was first reported by Mongabay’s Brazil team and published here on our Brazil site on Jan The “fortress conservation” model is under pressure in East Africa as protected areas become battlegrounds over history and global efforts to halt biodiversity loss Mongabay’s Special Issue goes beyond the region’s world-renowned safaris to examine how rural communities and governments are reckoning with conservation’s colonial origins and trying to forge a path forward […]