Sīwamhãr zê: Warriors of the present: Fighting for the future without forgetting the past
Brazil is a megadiverse country mainly known for its biodiversity. When it comes to its Indigenous population, the diversity is also great, as Brazil is home to more than 300 Indigenous peoples, speaking about 200 different languages.
The Xakriabá people are part of the second largest linguistic tribe in Brazil, the Macro-jê of the Jê family. They are related to the Xavante of Mato Grosso and Xerente of Tocantins. In the past, they formed a single people, the "Akwē Ktabi," and like most peoples in Brazil, the Xakriabá have been fighting a long process of religious catechization that has lasted more than 400 years. During this process, they were forced to refrain from speaking their mother tongue and to leave their rituals as well as their lands.
Currently, the Xakriabá Indigenous land is located in the municipality of São João das Missões, in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. This is in the region of the cerrado biome, considered the most biodiverse savannah on the planet. This land consists of 33 villages in addition to the areas that are being retaken by right. However, this territory has been increasingly invaded by farmers, causing several conflicts, and it was only delimited and ratified after the massacre of 1987 where three Xakriabá died, among them the leader Rosalino Xakriabá.
Even with their territory historically devastated, the Xakriabá people have continued the struggle to maintain what remains, managing their own land while always aiming for the autonomy of their people. As such, the strategy of this Indigenous Movement is to continue the fight to guarantee rights and to occupy political spaces within the Brazilian Government. Thus, there have been several national mobilizations, like that of the Xakriabá youth, together with the internal organization of the people, to achieve said goal.
One of the most active people within the Indigenous mobilizations is Célia Xakriabá. As she says, “the struggle of the Indigenous Movement is the best space for political education that one can have.” Several people from the Xakriabá territory, including youth like Celia as well as the elders, have come together in a meeting. This enabled many young people to get to know parts of their territory which were previously unknown to them due to conflicts. These young people are not only seen as the future, but as the present “warriors” who will continue history.
This meeting was known as the headdress caucus, a caucus composed of Indigenous people and their allies. During the caucus, Célia Xakriabá became the first Indigenous woman elected as the Federal Deputy for the State of Minas Gerais in 2022, along with Sônia Guajajara who was elected by the State of São Paulo and appointed as Minister of the first Ministry of Indigenous Peoples in Brazil. The appointment of Joênia Wapichana to the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples is also noteworthy, as she was the first Indigenous woman appointed as Federal Deputy of Brazil in 2018.
The purpose of this caucus was to empower the Xakriabá people who have been fighting to retake their territories, as well as the Indigenous families that still survive in said territories despite being pressured by farms and speculators to leave their lands. These once sacred lands are being eroded by farms, and their exploitation is preventing the tributary of the Itacarambi River from flowing into the São Francisco River. This was once the cradle of civilization for several Indigenous peoples and is now dying.
Indigenous peoples are considered the main guardians of nature, as recognized by the United Nations. They make up just 5% of the world's population but are responsible for protecting more than 80% of the planet's biodiversity. Brazil, with 2% of its population being Indigenous, is no exception.
As part of the Xakriabá Indigenous people of the State of Minas Gerais, Edgar Kanaykõ Xakriabá has used ethnophotography as “a means of recording aspects of culture—the life of the people”. Through his lens, Edgar enables others to see what being part of the Indigenous Xakriabá people is from a different perspective, as he believes that “giving visibility to the young—the warriors of the present—who are fighting to protect their lands and traditions through photography is of utmost importance.”
Edgar’s project “Sīwamhãr zê | Warriors of the present fighting for the future without forgetting the past” awarded him one of five Photographers Without Borders’ 2023 Revolutionary Storyteller Grants. Through this documentary project, Edgar is raising awareness about the struggles the Xakriabá people face as well as the movement that has risen to guarantee Indigenous people’s rights in Brazil. “Everything starts with the community for Indigenous peoples; as such, it is important to strengthen our community internally to then occupy our political power in a strategic way to guarantee the rights of our people, traditional communities, and those of Mother Earth.”
Photography for Edgar is seen as a storytelling tool that can aid in the fight for reclaiming Indigenous peoples lands. He says, “For us Xakriabá people, photography has become our new ‘bows and arrows,’ helping us to tell our stories and those of our territory, as well as to become ‘Sīwamhãr zê’ that—in the Akwē Xakriabá language—can be described as someone who fights for the future as a ‘warrior’ of the present without forgetting our past, while carrying with us the strength of our ancestors so that we can continue to be what we are: ‘Akwē Ktabi,’ the True People fighting to protect our rights and our lands.”
The Xakriabá people are part of the second largest linguistic tribe in Brazil, the Macro-jê of the Jê family. They are related to the Xavante of Mato Grosso and Xerente of Tocantins. In the past, they formed a single people, the "Akwē Ktabi," and like most peoples in Brazil, the Xakriabá have been fighting a long process of religious catechization that has lasted more than 400 years. During this process, they were forced to refrain from speaking their mother tongue and to leave their rituals as well as their lands.
Currently, the Xakriabá Indigenous land is located in the municipality of São João das Missões, in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. This is in the region of the cerrado biome, considered the most biodiverse savannah on the planet. This land consists of 33 villages in addition to the areas that are being retaken by right. However, this territory has been increasingly invaded by farmers, causing several conflicts, and it was only delimited and ratified after the massacre of 1987 where three Xakriabá died, among them the leader Rosalino Xakriabá.
Even with their territory historically devastated, the Xakriabá people have continued the struggle to maintain what remains, managing their own land while always aiming for the autonomy of their people. As such, the strategy of this Indigenous Movement is to continue the fight to guarantee rights and to occupy political spaces within the Brazilian Government. Thus, there have been several national mobilizations, like that of the Xakriabá youth, together with the internal organization of the people, to achieve said goal.
One of the most active people within the Indigenous mobilizations is Célia Xakriabá. As she says, “the struggle of the Indigenous Movement is the best space for political education that one can have.” Several people from the Xakriabá territory, including youth like Celia as well as the elders, have come together in a meeting. This enabled many young people to get to know parts of their territory which were previously unknown to them due to conflicts. These young people are not only seen as the future, but as the present “warriors” who will continue history.
This meeting was known as the headdress caucus, a caucus composed of Indigenous people and their allies. During the caucus, Célia Xakriabá became the first Indigenous woman elected as the Federal Deputy for the State of Minas Gerais in 2022, along with Sônia Guajajara who was elected by the State of São Paulo and appointed as Minister of the first Ministry of Indigenous Peoples in Brazil. The appointment of Joênia Wapichana to the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples is also noteworthy, as she was the first Indigenous woman appointed as Federal Deputy of Brazil in 2018.
The purpose of this caucus was to empower the Xakriabá people who have been fighting to retake their territories, as well as the Indigenous families that still survive in said territories despite being pressured by farms and speculators to leave their lands. These once sacred lands are being eroded by farms, and their exploitation is preventing the tributary of the Itacarambi River from flowing into the São Francisco River. This was once the cradle of civilization for several Indigenous peoples and is now dying.
Indigenous peoples are considered the main guardians of nature, as recognized by the United Nations. They make up just 5% of the world's population but are responsible for protecting more than 80% of the planet's biodiversity. Brazil, with 2% of its population being Indigenous, is no exception.
As part of the Xakriabá Indigenous people of the State of Minas Gerais, Edgar Kanaykõ Xakriabá has used ethnophotography as “a means of recording aspects of culture—the life of the people”. Through his lens, Edgar enables others to see what being part of the Indigenous Xakriabá people is from a different perspective, as he believes that “giving visibility to the young—the warriors of the present—who are fighting to protect their lands and traditions through photography is of utmost importance.”
Edgar’s project “Sīwamhãr zê | Warriors of the present fighting for the future without forgetting the past” awarded him one of five Photographers Without Borders’ 2023 Revolutionary Storyteller Grants. Through this documentary project, Edgar is raising awareness about the struggles the Xakriabá people face as well as the movement that has risen to guarantee Indigenous people’s rights in Brazil. “Everything starts with the community for Indigenous peoples; as such, it is important to strengthen our community internally to then occupy our political power in a strategic way to guarantee the rights of our people, traditional communities, and those of Mother Earth.”
Photography for Edgar is seen as a storytelling tool that can aid in the fight for reclaiming Indigenous peoples lands. He says, “For us Xakriabá people, photography has become our new ‘bows and arrows,’ helping us to tell our stories and those of our territory, as well as to become ‘Sīwamhãr zê’ that—in the Akwē Xakriabá language—can be described as someone who fights for the future as a ‘warrior’ of the present without forgetting our past, while carrying with us the strength of our ancestors so that we can continue to be what we are: ‘Akwē Ktabi,’ the True People fighting to protect our rights and our lands.”