In a statement, IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute) endorses the request for emergency aid issued by the Raoni Institute and the Capoto/Jarinã Cultural Association to control the fires on the Capoto/Jarina Indigenous Land in Mato Grosso. We also stand in solidarity with the struggle of our indigenous partners to fight the fires and illegal activities in their territories.
In a video published on social media, the Raoni Institute shows the flames still burning out of control in the Piaraçu village, in the north of the state. In the video, Chief Megaron Txucarramãe asks Funai (the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples), Ibama (the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Resources) and the firefighters to put out the fire.
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The Capoto/Jarina Indigenous Land covers more than 630,000 hectares, an area larger than the Federal District, or more than four times the size of the capital São Paulo. According to the Raoni Institute, there are 42 firefighters responsible for working in the territory, which is inhabited by the Mebêngôkre (Kayapó) and Tapayuna peoples.
“It’s frightening to see Brazil on fire. We were in the Piaraçu village in 2023, at a historic moment which was Raoni’s Call, and it is inconceivable to imagine this place being destroyed. We need a coordinated response to all these cases of uncontrolled fires, especially prioritizing the indigenous peoples and traditional communities affected,” says Paulo Moutinho, senior scientist at IPAM.
We express our solidarity with the families and the firefighters working on the ground, most of whom are also indigenous, and reinforce our call for urgent action to control the fires in the Piaraçu village and the Capoto/Jarina Indigenous Land.
