For the conservation of the Amazon and for territorial protection, the Guajajara indigenous women's collective, Guerreiras da Floresta (Forest Warriors), carried out a community strengthening project with villages surrounding the Caru Indigenous Territory, in western Maranhão.
The idea was to offer the non-indigenous population, called "caraiú" in the Tenetehára language, funding of R$ 40 through 20 micro-projects – R$ 2 for each initiative – for the development of productive activities such as vegetable gardens, small farms and fruit orchards/backyards, reforestation/nurseries and raising small animals.
“The project strengthened the collective and showed that we empathize with the cause of others, regardless of whether they are indigenous or white. We all need support; it’s a unified cause,” explains Marcilene Guajajara, a member of the collective and one of the project coordinators.
The project is the result of a partnership between ISPN and the Wirazu Indigenous Association, which represents the Caru Indigenous Land. "Charting new paths to a good life" was selected in a call for proposals from Comuá Network to promote territorial protection and environmental management of the region, associated with community philanthropy.
Due to its success, the project was cited as a case study of best practices. on Wings' Philanthropy Transformation Initiative platform – a community that seeks to challenge the field of philanthropy to transform its practices and institutions and build a movement to address global socio-environmental challenges.
Microprojects aim to facilitate access to resources for a family or community activity that is already underway and needs support to take off. The actions were carried out in two cities with the lowest Human Development Index (HDI) in the state, Alto Alegre do Pindaré and Bom Jardim, serving six villages in each municipality.
The Warriors of the Forest initiative supported 20 micro-projects in communities surrounding the Caru Indigenous Territory (Photo: Caroline Yoshida/ISPN Archive)For Antônio Wilson Guajajara, chief of the Maçaranduba village in the Caru Indigenous Territory, the project was a source of pride for the territory. “When I learned that the project had reached the hands of families who so wanted and needed it, I was very proud,” he said, adding that the goal is for the non-indigenous population to see the indigenous people as friends and “for this partnership to never end.”
Sustainability
Since 2014, the women of the Caru Indigenous Territory have helped protect 173 hectares of demarcated land, which is part of the Gurupi Mosaic – the largest group of conserved areas in the far eastern Amazon, which in turn integrates the Belém Center of Endemism, an area of social and ecological importance.
Although it is an important environmental and cultural heritage site, the region is threatened by deforestation and illegal activities such as logging, fishing, and hunting carried out by people from outside the territory.
“It’s important work because it’s also a way for us to get to know our territory and the beautiful things within it,” argues Maísa Guajajara, a member of the women’s collective and one of the project coordinators.
The group joined forces with the Guardians of the Forest, which has been active since 2014, with the goal of curbing invasions into the Caru Indigenous Territory for the illegal exploitation of timber and other forest resources found there.
The indigenous land is bordered by the Pindaré and Caru rivers, as well as many streams, which facilitates invasions. When loggers notice the presence of the guardians, they throw the wood into the riverbed and flee. Furthermore, the Caru Indigenous Territory is surrounded by dozens of villages, districts, settlements, and farms. This population density increases the pressure on the natural resources present there.
“It’s not an easy job. We leave home for patrol without knowing if we’ll come back,” recalls Maísa. In 2019, a leader from another group of guardians, Paulo Paulino Guajajara, from the Araribóia Indigenous Territory, was shot and killed while on patrol. More than 35 Indigenous people have been killed in Maranhão in the last ten years, according to data from the Indigenous Missionary Council (Cimi).
Starting in 2017, the Warriors also began developing awareness-raising activities in the surrounding area, to share information about their territorial rights and ways of life.
It was the Guajajara women who concluded that some of the land invasions in their territory are carried out because of the socioeconomic vulnerability of the surrounding area. "We saw their difficulties and devised a project to help them," explains Rosilene Guajajara, who also coordinated the project.
Marcilene says that the lack of collective organization among this population was detrimental to the indigenous people. “We realized the needs of the village near our territory, since public policies don't reach them. So we thought of ways to contribute to strengthening the protection of the territory as a whole,” he adds.
Maísa follows the same line of reasoning, concluding that the village does not have the resources to carry out the land invasions: “what I realize with this work is that those who carry out the invasion are not the surrounding population, but rather those who are in large cities. Because it is a large and expensive logistical operation, considering the rental of the chainsaw, the fuel, and the daily wage of those who will work to remove the wood.”
She explains that the Warriors' desire is to continue and expand the work, since initially only 20 families benefited. "Many people have contacted us asking when the next one will be," she points out, explaining that the collective is looking for new grant opportunities and new possibilities to raise funds.
Documentary
To document the execution of this project, one of the planned steps was the creation of a documentary resulting from an audiovisual workshop offered to indigenous youth from the territory.
Held in the village of Maçaranduba, the Audiovisual Workshop The workshop for communicators took place between July 25 and 30, 2022. Seven young people participated, five women from Maçaranduba and two men from the Januária village, in the Rio Pindaré Indigenous Territory.
Mauro Siqueira, filmmaker from Coletivo 105, led the in-person meeting. Two months prior, audiovisual training processes had already begun via WhatsApp. On the messaging platform, participants watched video lessons and completed practical video and photography exercises.
The documentary was released in January 2023 and included a presentation for the community. "This record was very important because other women's organizations were able to learn about our project and be inspired to do something similar in their communities," says Maísa.
Watch the full video here: