In a historic event, Sônia Guajajara, a leader from Maranhão, assumes the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples in Brasília, in an unprecedented action of historical reparation spanning more than 500 years.Anielle Franco also took over the Ministry of Racial Equality.
“Ancestry takes possession,” declared federal deputy Célia Xakriabá with her poetic words at the opening of the inauguration ceremony of ministers Sonia Guajajara, of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, and Anielle Franco, of the Ministry of Racial Equality, last Wednesday (January 11). The stage for this historic day was the Palácio do Planalto, which still had many of its windows without glass, broken due to acts of vandalism committed by supporters of the former president, still dissatisfied with the election results and intending to destabilize Brazilian democracy, last Sunday (January 8, 2023). But the celebration demonstrated that Brazilian democracy is rebuilt with moments that exalt hope, which was reflected in many eyes brimming with emotion at witnessing the creation of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples (MPI) and the re-establishment of the Ministry of Racial Equality, actions considered as historical reparations for indigenous and black peoples.
The newly created Ministry of Indigenous Peoples (MPI) is the first in this country's history entirely dedicated to indigenous issues. This body fulfills a campaign promise made by President Lula during the 2022 Free Land Camp. The ministry will incorporate FUNAI, now called the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples, and the National Council for Indigenous Policy (CNPI), which was dissolved in the previous administration. Former federal deputy Joenia Wapichana will head FUNAI.
In her speech as minister, Sonia Guajajara recalled her journey from childhood to becoming a leader in the indigenous movement and emphasized the main agendas of the MPI (Ministry of Indigenous Affairs). She also recalled the historical context of the place of indigenous people in Brazilian politics and what motivated the creation of the new ministry.
“The centuries-old invisibility that directly impacts and has impacted state public policies is a result of racism, inequality, and a democracy with low representativeness, which has led to intense institutional, political, and social invisibility, placing us in the sad landscape of social underrepresentation and underreporting in the country. Centuries of violence and violations have occurred, and it is no longer tolerable to accept public policies that are inadequate to Indigenous bodies, cosmologies, and understandings of land use,” the minister emphasized.
Sonia also highlighted the importance of Indigenous Lands in the fight against global warming and the maintenance of biodiversity, considering the ancestral knowledge of peoples throughout the country. "It is important that this knowledge moves beyond international treaties and is valued in practice throughout the national territory, through local policies, considering the diversity of peoples, cultures, and territories," she stated.
Minister Sonia Guajajara also announced the names of indigenous people who will head the MPI's secretariats. Among them are: Eloy Terena in the Executive Secretariat; Eunice Kerexu Guarani in the Secretariat for Environmental and Territorial Rights; Ceiça Pitaguary in the Secretariat for Indigenous Environmental and Territorial Management; Juma Xipaia in the Secretariat for Articulation and Promotion of Indigenous Rights; and Marcos Xucuru, Special Advisor to the MPI. The Ministry promises to coordinate all indigenous policies within its scope of action.
Sonia, surrounded by her relatives and ancestral cultures, also greeted Anielle Franco, who, at the same ceremony, took office as Minister of Racial Equality. “Our inauguration, mine and Anielle’s, is proof of the historical resistance of Black and Indigenous peoples. They will no longer make our realities invisible.” At the end of the inauguration, a ritual of the Terena people, from Mato Grosso do Sul, celebrated with full honors the first indigenous woman to become a Minister of State in this country.
Indigenous peoples and the climate crisis
According to João Guilherme Cruz, coordinator of the Indigenous Peoples Program at ISPN, the new Ministry could contribute to Brazil fulfilling international treaties related to global climate balance, highlighting that these treaties need to consider the realities of indigenous peoples. “Indigenous peoples and traditional communities have an enormous contribution to make in addressing climate change and maintaining biodiversity. The treaties need to be grounded in the realities of these peoples; they deserve concrete public policies at the local, regional, and national levels,” he commented.