Dangers..

There are many threats in the indigenous area, from “garimpeiros” (gold and diamond diggers) who come onto their land to search for precious minerals, to the “seringueiros” (rubber tappers) who come to collect the rubber from the many trees in the area and last but not least, the “fazendeiros” (farmers) who, with permission from the State, are deforesting with alarming speed, at the borders of their territory. Very often they encroach on the native land to plant and cultivate enormous soya plantations or put animals on the deforested land: the entire world has an urgent need for meat and soya and the weed killer used by the farmers is polluting the water of the rivers which are the life blood of the Enawene-Nawe.

The government’s development plans make provision for “construction of hydroelectric power plants” within their territory. These “power plants” pollute the various rivers where these people usually fish. More power plants constructed (about 70 are planned) the number of fish – their only source of protein – will be reduced.

It is therefore extremely important that the Enawene-Nawe obtain “demarcation of their territory” at the river Preto or river Adowina, area where they have their ancestral origins. They have been fighting for this for several years.