Indigenous people in Brazil shed tears of joy as the Supreme Court enshrines their land rights
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Indigenous people celebrated Thursday after Brazil's Supreme Court ruled to enshrine their land rights, removing the imminent threat those protections could be rolled back.
Diane Jeantet And Eléonore Hughes, The Associated Press
about an hour ago
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Indigenous people celebrated Thursday after Brazil's Supreme Court ruled to enshrine their land rights, removing the imminent threat those protections could be rolled back.
The justices had been evaluating a lawsuit brought by Santa Catarina state, backed by farmers, seeking to block an Indigenous group from expanding the size of its territorial claim. Nearly all of the high court's justices voted to support the Indigenous group, which has far-reaching implications for territories nationwide.
Dozens of Indigenous people in traditional yellow feather headdresses and body paint danced, sang and jumped around in front of a multitude of flashing cameras in the capital of Brasilia after the decisive vote was cast. Some wiped away tears of joy.
“I’m shaking. It took a while, but we did it. It’s a very beautiful and strong feeling. Our ancestors are present — no doubt about it,” said Jéssica Nghe Mum Priprá, who is from the Xokleng-Laklano Indigenous group.
More:
https://www.alaskahighwaynews.ca/indigenous-news/indigenous-people-in-brazil-shed-tears-of-joy-as-the-supreme-court-enshrines-their-land-rights-7583320
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A lopsided majority of Brazil's Supreme Court ruled Thursday against an effort to restrict native peoples' rights to protected reservations on their ancestral lands, in a win for Indigenous activists and climate campaigners.
Issued on: 22/09/2023 - 03:37
3 min
By:
NEWS WIRES
Indigenous leaders in bright feather headdresses and body paint exploded in celebration outside the high court building in Brasilia as Justice Luiz Fux became the sixth on the 11-member court to side with the native plaintiffs in the landmark case, giving them victory.
The judges voted one by one and in the end, the tally was a 9-2 win for Indigenous people opposed to the restriction.
"Justice is on the side of Indigenous peoples," said Joenia Wapichana, the head of the government's Indigenous affairs agency, FUNAI. "Today is a day to celebrate the death of the 'time-frame argument.'"
The so-called "time-frame argument" at the center of the case held that Indigenous peoples should not have the right to protected reservations on lands where they were not present in 1988, when the country's current constitution was ratified.
The plaintiffs argued that violated their rights, given that many native groups were forced from their ancestral lands, including during the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil from the 1960s to 1980s.
More:
https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20230922-brazil-s-indigenous-peoples-celebrate-massive-land-rights-victory
