One of the most prominent indigenous activists in Brazil has died, as a result of complications following coronavirus infection. He will be missed.
Paiakan never forgot his Amazon roots. Courtesy Notizie.it
Redenção, Brazil. June 2020. One of the least developed and most controversial areas in Brazil is the Mato Grosso-Para rainforest basin. Inhabited by the indigenous Kaiapó people, it has been frequently slated for the construction of massive hydro-electric dam schemes including the Belo Monte, Babaquara, Ipixuna, Kakraimoro, Iriri and Jarina hydroelectric dams.
In 1971, local tribal elder Paulinho Paiakan was employed by local developers to help negotiate permission for access roads into the designated tribal lands, including for the Trans-Amazonian highway. But after seeing the scale of the engineering projects planned, Paiakan abandoned his job. He saw the road as the thin end of a massive wedge of farmers, miners and loggers using fires and chainsaws that were not in the least interested in development, but in tearing down vast tracts of forest for quick profit, and worse, removing any indigenous people who objected.
“I stopped working for the white man,” he said in one interview, “and went back to my village. I told my people, ‘They are cutting down the trees with big machines. They are killing the land and spoiling the river. They are … bringing great problems for us.’”
Paiakan worked tirelessly to maintain his traditional customs and culture. Courtesy amazonasatual.
Realising that to fight any development as a ‘native’ from his homeland would be impossible, he decided to learn Portuguese, develop lobbying skills, and call for help from highly recognisable allies including Friends of the Earth, the World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace.
Using video cameras he catalogued the destruction that new projects were causing – and likely to cause - across the region. He became an instantly recognisable figure in his ornate headdress as he travelled outside the region to speaking engagements.
“The forest is one big thing; it has people, animals, and plants,” he said at one lecture. “There is no point saving the animals if the forest is burned down; there is no point saving the forest if the people and animals who live in it are killed or driven away.” Talking like that was dangerous work; one of his associates, rubber tapper Chico Mendes was shot dead by ranchers for organizing protests against deforestation. It was rumoured that Paiakan might be a next, and he suffered from many accusations and undermining rumours as a result, including an accusation of rape which was initially rejected but then upheld.
But far from dissuading him, the threats gave him greater impetus. He became one of the most voluble indigenous campaigners and helped cement legislation that created indigenous reserves in the Amazon. “In the old days,” Paiakan said at the time, “my people were great warriors. We were afraid of nothing. We are still not afraid of anything. But now, instead of war clubs, we are using words. And if you want to save the rainforest, you have to take into account the people who live there.”
Partly as a result of his campaigning, ex-Police band member Sting became an avid supporter of the anti-development cause, and held concerts in support of the Kaiapó people and the protection of their lands. Paiakan travelled to the U.S., Europe and Asia, always dressed in his traditional outfit and giving passionate speeches about the value of the rainforest.
Paiakan was never out of his depth in any culture. Courtesy Fanpage.
“The groups trying to save the races of animals cannot win if the people trying to save the forest lose; the people trying to save the Indians cannot win if the others lose. No one of us is strong enough to win alone; but together, we can be strong enough to win,” he said.
As a result of his and fellow chief Raoni’s campaigning, allied to exposure with the help of Sting, FoE and others, the World Bank eventually said that it would not help source funding for the massive Belo Monte dam until more account was taken of environmental concerns. It was a major win.
But with coronavirus rampaging across the country since February 2020, indigenous Amazonian tribes were particularly badly hit – and one of them was Paiakan. Aged 65, he succumbed to associated diseases and died on 16 June 2020 in hospital in Araguia hospital, Redenção, in southern Pará state. The authorities confirmed he was moved into intensive care and intubated on June 9, but never recovered.
"His legacy leaves in the history and in the lives of peoples a lot of strength. Internationally recognized as a great advocate for the forest and its peoples, Paiakan was a source of inspiration in the struggle for all of us," said indigenous support group Articulation for the People Indigenous of Brazil (APIB).