Kamayurá village (MT) - At the Kuarup ritual, the Indians' final tribute to their dead, the Minister of Justice, Márcio Thomaz Bastos, said that the preservation and the revitalization of the Xingu River is on the list of priorities of the Ministry and the National Indian Foundation (Funai). "We have a centuries-old debt to the indigenous peoples, and the Ministry and the Funai should endeavor to preserve and revitalize the Xingu River, which is where the largest indigenous population in Brazil resides," he insisted.

The Xingu Indians' chief concern at present is with the water supply. "The soybean farms destroy the forests and pollute the river waters with pesticides," protested Kotoki, chief of the Kamayurá village.

Minister Bastos, after his visit to the Xingu, affirmed that the government has a commitment to the native community. "By the end of the Administration's mandate, all the territories will be homologated, demarcated, and pacified," the Minister pledged. According to the Funai, Indian lands constitute 12% of Brazilian territory.

This was the first time Bastos participated in the Kuarup ceremony. He smoked a cigarette prepared by the local medicine man and said that this will not be the last time he visits the Xingu. "I was moved. It is a depiction of death and resurrection," he remarked. Bastos was the community's most-awaited guest. "He works in the city, but now he is here conversing personally with our people; this is important," said Paieap Kamayurá, a warrior from the village.

The Kuarup ended on Sunday (15) with a battle among warriors from villages in the Upper Xingu. The Kuikuros joined the Kamayurás, and together they received another six tribes from the region. This was the Kuarup's final stage, in which the battle represents strength and youth, the joyous part of the ceremony.

Agência Brasil
Reporter: Paula Menna Barreto
Translator: David Silberstein
Special