Tribal Voice: Pataxó Indians send desperate appeal

October 14, 2016

The Pataxó tribe has sent a desperate appeal to the world © Pataxó

A tribe of Brazilian Indians have sent a desperate appeal to the world, recorded in their community as they were evicted from their land and thrown onto the side of a main road.

In the short clip released by Survival’s Tribal Voice project, a spokeswoman of the Pataxó tribe says: “We Pataxó people are subjected to so much violence. They are killing us! You can see what’s happening here today.”

Watch: Desperate appeal from the Pataxó.

The Pataxó of Brazil’s Bahia state, and other tribes around the country, depend on their land for their survival. But it is being stolen from them in the pursuit of profit.

Brazil’s Congress is debating a plan to change the constitution which, if implemented, would give anti-Indian landowners the chance to block the recognition of new indigenous territories – and it might even enable them to break up existing ones.

Pataxó Indians were evicted from their land and thrown onto the side of a main road. © Pataxó

The key to tribal peoples’ survival and prosperity is to ensure their land remains under their control. Alongside tribes across Brazil, Survival is campaigning for indigenous peoples’ land rights to be upheld.

Survival’s groundbreaking Tribal Voice project gives tribal people a platform to speak to the world, allowing them to reach large audiences in real time.

This is the Pataxó’s first Tribal Voice message, sent from the scene of the eviction to the Guarani tribe and from them, directly to thousands of people around the world.

The Guarani, whose land has been stolen and destroyed by plantations and ranches, are sending regular Tribal Voice updates about their lives, and their struggle to survive.

Sign up to receive Tribal Voice video messages from tribal peoples.