My family have lived in our indigenous territory for generations; the Maranhão region of northern Brazil is my ancestral home. For centuries, across 400,000 hectares of land, my people – the Guajajara – have preserved our traditions and the natural world there, looking after the Amazon rainforest, the scrublands and hills. Our traditions help us sustain the environment, and in return, nature provides for us: trees give us food and medicine, we hunt animals, water sustains all life.
Our 15,000-person Indigenous community inherited our rituals and customs from those who came before us. However, the need to fight was also passed down to us. Our country has been under constant attack since 1500, when the Portuguese arrived (uninvitedly, of course).
As a child, my grandfather explained all this to me. A warrior of the forest, he understood the grave dangers people and the planet faced. He’s no longer with us, but I continue his legacy. Because in recent decades, the threat and violence has got worse.
Our environment is being destroyed in the name of capitalist greed and profit. Around us, there is illegal logging, hunting, and mining, business poisoning of soil and water, deforestation, and displacement of local communities.
Invasions of our lands are common, as are massacres of our people. Tomé Guajajara, one of our tribal leaders, was killed in his village in 2007 during an armed invasion by loggers. It convinced us that we needed to formalise our fight.
In 2012, we discovered 72 illegal entry points into our territory that needed to be closed. We formalised our efforts in 2013, establishing the Guardians of the Forest. Six Guardians have been killed since then, the most recent being Janildo Guajajara, who was shot dead last month.
We are a group of locals who are taking matters into our own hands in order to protect ourselves and our land. There was no doubt in my mind that I would be a part of this resistance. I’ve seen close relatives, friends, and neighbours murdered. Not a single murderer has been apprehended. Those who commit this violence, as well as the authorities who support them, show a complete disregard for our way of life.
We Guardians have an advantage when we spot an illegal camp or detect a new incursion. Our knowledge of the forest is far superior to theirs. Our networks coordinate, investigate, and plan to act. Yes, we are defending ourselves and our territory, but that requires us to fight back. We seek the best approach while minimising risks to our safety.
We agree on tactics, then surround the camps, and destroy their huts and equipment. We dismantle their trucks, and burn their tractors. They are left with no choice but to go packing.
All we want is to preserve our land and to protect ourselves. Our enemies want us dead. They have pistols and automatics, weapons far more deadly than our bows and arrows, and a few hunting rifles. And they show little regard for the authorities or the law.
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