Brazil: Indigenous Peoples from Acre declare their rejection of REDD policies and their support to CIMI

Indigenous Peoples from Acre in Brazil declare their rejection of REDD policies and their support for the work carried out by the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI). Feijó, State of Acre, Brazil, September 28th, 2017.

LETTER OF REJECTION AND REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION

We, indigenous peoples of four different ethnic groups, Shanenawa, Huni Kui, Ashaninka and Madiha, together with the colonheiros (small-scale peasants), seringueiros (rubber tappers), and riverside dwellers of the high and low River Envira, as well as the River Jurupari communities Santo Antônio, Paumaripé and Valparaíso, the rubber tappers associations MASSIPIRA and Novo Oriente, and people living along federal and state highways, gathered in Feijó on the 27th and 28th September 2017. We renounce the letter of accusation and persecution against the CIMI (Indigenist Missionary Council) published on 31st July on the CPI Acre website under the title “Open Letter in Response to Declarations about SISA, REDD+ and Indigenous Peoples in Acre”.

We declare that we are extremely grateful for the work they carry out in support of indigenous populations and communities, whereas we renounce any action against the indigenous populations' welfare, taking into account that we are aware of the CIMI's transparent work in relation to indigenous issues in the River Envira area and the whole of Brazil.

Through all the Brazilian bureaucracy, we, indigenous peoples and other traditional communities demand respect for our originality, humility and wisdom in recognising the true value of Amazonia in and for our lives. For this, it is extremely necessary for everyone to know that we, indigenous peoples, were very happy before the arrival of the Portuguese in our country of origin, Brazil. We are aware that we have many rights, as we have duties, which have to be exercised. However, we know that things have to happen with transparency and honesty.

We, indigenous peoples, demand that legal accounting be carried out of all resources of any kind destined to our indigenous and riverside communities, with the aim of improving the relationship between the state authorities and members of the communities.

We take great care of preserving human life, for we preserve the environment as part of our way of life; we are aware that all we need to survive with our families in harmony is that our lands are demarcated so we can plant and gather our traditional food, and that our governing authorities work with transparency regarding indigenous issues. We realize that lack of honesty has existed since the times when Pedro Alvarez Cabral traded gold for a piece of mirror; ever since those times, authorities haven't found the true essence of governing with honesty and transparency and in good faith.

Feijo,September 28th, 2017