Dear Jack,

The Kawahiva are a tiny group of uncontacted Indigenous people living in the Brazilian Amazon. Having survived multiple genocidal attacks, the tribe could be wiped out unless their lands are officially recognized and fully protected by the Brazilian government. 

We’re calling on President Lula to fully recognize and protect the Kawahiva’s territory.

The Kawahiva’s land in Mato Grosso state, Brazil, has been repeatedly invaded by loggers, ranchers and land grabbers, who have killed many members of the tribe, and also introduced lethal diseases. The surviving Kawahiva are living on the run, evading intruders and seeking safety and security in their remaining forests.

Survival has been working alongside Indigenous organizations to support the Kawahiva for decades. In 2016 – after intense campaigning, and more than 14,000 emails sent by Survival supporters – we won a huge step forward when Brazil’s Minister of Justice signed a decree to protect the Kawahiva’s territory. But this was only the first step in a long legal process towards full land recognition.

The fight did not end there. 

In the years that followed, under the regime of former president Bolsonaro, the process of legal land recognition stalled. The Kawahiva’s extreme vulnerability remains while the territory lacks full recognition and protection.  

You can help by sending an email to President Lula asking him to fully protect the territory of the Kawahiva – and let them live.

Thank you for standing alongside Survival as we continue this battle.

Caroline Pearce
Director
Survival International