Despite their diversity, there is great solidarity among the peoples and the awareness that this is a collective struggle is growing. In the case of the Indigenous people of Kapot, their chief, Patoit Metuktire, has been very explicit about his determination to keep his people’s land: "I will protect this place against the destruction of the white man who wants to exploit it. I have no enemies here, but I am against any action that destroys our environment".
Kapot village occupies an area around 500 metres in diameter, with a communal hut at its centre, used for meetings and decision-making. At a recent traditional ceremony, and with a ritual spear in his hand, the local shaman, who, like the other men in the village, had painted his body and face black for the occasion, performed a series of dances in which he warned potential invaders that Kapot would defend itself, as it has done in the past.
Once the ritual is over, Chief Paotit presided over a gathering of the entire village in front of a banner that read: "No to the time frame." This banner, used by the Kapot village delegation at the last indigenous camp in Brasilia, is similar to others found in ever more remote territories as the Indigenous mobilisation movement grows. The rally concluded with shouts of "Fora Bolsonaro!" (Bolsonaro out!), which has become a rallying cry for the Indigenous communities of the Brazilian Amazon.
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