Brazilian ranchers block government officials from demarcating Indigenous land

Since mid-September, a group of farmers have blocked the road leading to the Paquiçamba Indigenous Land in the Volta Grande do Xingu region of Brazil's Pará state. Backed by local politicians, the protesters aim to deter government representatives from physically marking the territory of the Juruna (Yudjá) Indigenous people. Their goal is to prevent the Indigenous Affairs Agency (Funai) from entering the region to officially outline the boundaries of the Paquiçamba.

This action is necessary before the territory can be officially confirmed by the president and officially entered into the records. The Paquiçamba is directly impacted by the Belo Monte hydroelectric project, and the federal approval of Indigenous land in the area was a prerequisite for the project to obtain environmental clearance.

A Funai spokesperson has stated to Mongabay via email, "The blockades have slowed down the completion of the physical demarcation process, which includes determining the land's location through georeferencing, placing boundary markers on the Indigenous Land, and installing signs." The spokesperson added that due to this issue, Funai is exploring legal options to ensure the continuation of the work, access to the land's borders, and the protection of the team carrying out the tasks.

Despite receiving support from the National Public Security Force, the spokesperson mentioned that there have been confrontations between the blockaders and federal agents, which have interrupted their activities. Ya Juruna, an Indigenous resident from Paquiçamba, communicated via WhatsApp messages to Mongabay that the protesters are trying to stop her community from gaining legal rights to their land.