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A Ka'apor woman and her child on a fishing expedition in the newly occupied...READ ON
A Ka'apor woman and her child on a fishing expedition in the newly occupied and heavily deforested area of their indigenous territory in the Brazilian state of Maranhão. As the area is retaken from loggers by male warriors and the new Protection Area agroforestry settlements are built, the families which will remain there arrive, including women and children, to take over and help with activities such as gathering, cooking and washing while the men focus on hunting, fishing, constuction and defence. January, 2022.
Members of the Ka'apor Self-Defence Guard set up a fishing net on the Hola...READ ON
Members of the Ka'apor Self-Defence Guard set up a fishing net on the Hola river from a bridge built by loggers made from felled rainforest trees as they install the newest Protection Area settlement in a newly recaptured part of their territory in the Brazilian state of Maranhão. The bridge was burned by the Ka'apor the previous year but the loggers kept returning. January, 2022.
A member of the Ka'apor Self-Defence Guard on a hunting expedition in the...READ ON
A member of the Ka'apor Self-Defence Guard on a hunting expedition in the remnants of the original Amazon rainforest in a newly recaptured deforested area of their territory Alto Turiaçu in Maranhão state, Brazil. January, 2022.
A member of the Ka'apor Self-Defence Guard on a hunting expedition in a...READ ON
A member of the Ka'apor Self-Defence Guard on a hunting expedition in a recently recaptured area of their territory that has long suffered from logging and deforestation.
Logging vehichles and felled tree trunks lie hidden under forest cover in the...READ ON
Logging vehichles and felled tree trunks lie hidden under forest cover in the logging community of Tancredo Neves on the border of the Ka'apor's Indigenous Territory of Alto Turiaçu in the Brazilian state of Maranhão. Loggers often hide their equipment and activities from overhead surveillance to evade authorities. January, 2022.
A member of the Ka'apor Self-Defence Guard stands next to recently felled...READ ON
A member of the Ka'apor Self-Defence Guard stands next to recently felled trees from the remnants of the Amazon rainforest in a heavily deforested section of their territory in the Brazilian state of Maranhão, Brazil. January, 2022.
Members of the Ka'apor Self-Defence Guard set up the newest Protection Area...READ ON
Members of the Ka'apor Self-Defence Guard set up the newest Protection Area settlement which will remain as a permanent agroforestry community on the site of previous logging activity in their territory in the Brazilian state of Maranhão. January, 2022.
A member of the Ka'apor Self-Defence Guard cuts wood for use in construction...READ ON
A member of the Ka'apor Self-Defence Guard cuts wood for use in construction of their newest Protection Area settlement in a newly recaptured logging area in a heavily deforested section of their indigenous territory in the Brazilian state of Maranhão. January, 2022.
A member of the Ka'apor Forest Guard observes a brush fire lit to clear the...READ ON
A member of the Ka'apor Forest Guard observes a brush fire lit to clear the site of a new construction in a newly installed Protection Area in a heavily deforested region of their indigenous territory in the Brazilian state of Maranhão. January, 2022.
Members of the Ka'apor Self-Defence guard and supporters hold a meeting on...READ ON
Members of the Ka'apor Self-Defence guard and supporters hold a meeting on the implantation of new Protection Areas in locations where outsiders are invading their indigenous territory in the heavily deforested Brazilian state of Maranhão. The governing Council of Chiefs (Tuxa ta Pame) counts on the support of local academics and social movements to support their actions in defence and self-governance of their territory. January, 2022.
A member of the Ka'apor Self-Defence Guard tends to a camp fire in a new...READ ON
A member of the Ka'apor Self-Defence Guard tends to a camp fire in a new Protection Area in a heavily deforested region of their territory recently retaken from illegal loggers in the Brazilian state of Maranhão. January, 2022.
The Ka'apor indigenous people of the Brazilian Amazon administer one of the few autonomous indigenous territories in the world. After kicking out the Brazilian federal agency for indigenous affairs (Funai) in 2013 they revived their traditional governing council of chiefs and their own indigenous education system.
In the face of increasing pressure from land invaders, the Ka'apor devised a defense strategy of setting up permanent settlements along their borders to discourage further incursions. This strategy has so far succeeded in slowing the advance of loggers into their territory of around 3,000 hectares, home to more than half of the last remaining areas of intact primary rainforest in Maranhão.
But the region is under intense pressure from illegal logging, mining, and land grabbing. Land defenders like the Ka'apor are also under increasing physical danger as they struggle with few resources and the complete absence of state protection and assistance (indeed, many of the local municipal, state and federal representatives are themselves connected to the illegal activity and allied to president Bolsonaro or with ties to his current party).
The last decade has seen five Ka'apor murdered in acts of reprisals from criminal groups linked to local politicians. Many more have been threatened with death. Simply leaving their territory means risking their lives, but it's a risk they're willing to take in order to save their home, the forest, which we all rely on for our continued survival.