Do you notice anything about the two families pictured above?
I first met Arimã, Jubei and Avapu on a trip to the Uru Eu Wau Wau’s territory in 1992, and their fighting spirit left a lasting impression on me.
I didn’t expect to ever see them again – in fact, I wasn’t even sure they were still alive.
So you can imagine my delight when I had the opportunity to meet them again during my most recent visit to Brazil, 27 years later.
When I interviewed Arimã in 1992, he told me firmly, “We don’t accept loggers here… We will continue to patrol our area, to defend it, to look out.”
And that’s exactly what he has done. I can’t tell you how heartening it is to see that he and his people are still rigorously defending their land from loggers and land grabbers.
Here, in this spectacularly beautiful and biodiverse territory, I found yet more confirmation that fighting for indigenous rights is the best way to fight for the environment.
But Brazil’s current political climate is hostile – the devastating fires we saw in August were no accident. President Bolsonaro has made it clear that the Amazon is up for grabs, and with violence against indigenous peoples soaring, the situation has only gotten worse since I wrote this piece for The Guardian.
Meeting Arimã, Jubei and Avapu again was the highlight of a tough trip. The pictures above, though taken 27 years apart, show a family determined as ever to defend their land and fight back against unimaginable adversity. It’s my privilege to share them with you.
Only around 200 Uru Eu Wau Wau now survive. They and other Amazonian tribes are under threat, but if their land is protected, they can thrive. Please click below for more information about how you can help #StopBrazilsGenocide.
P.S. Unlike many NGOs, we reject government funding so our integrity is never compromised. We rely entirely on your donations to keep fighting for tribal peoples worldwide. Please
donate today. Without you, there can be no Survival.
Survival International USA, PO Box 26345, San Francisco, CA 94126 | A 501(c)(3) organization tax I.D. 26-3208869
Survival International, 6 Charterhouse Buildings, London EC1M 7ET, UK | Charity no. 267444
You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive updates from Survival International. If you're unhappy with the frequency of our emails you can unsubscribe from this list at any time.
