We have talked in class many times about the ongoing mistreatment of Indigenous Peoples in the United States. There is no doubt that the injustices have not ended, and require some kind of intervention. But it is not fair to only observe the plight of Indigenous Peoples in the United States, and oppression has no bounds. The Brazilian Government has authorized the building of the world's third largest hydroelectric dam. Hydroelectric dams generally come with controversy, the conflict between generating green energy and disturbing natural flows of water, but this dam comes with a lot more baggage. The Kayapo, a people indigenous to the Xingu River, are being forced out of their homeland due to the widespread flooding that the dam will cause. the Kayapo are just one of the groups that are being displaced from their lands, an estimated 20,000 people will be affected by the dam. The Kayapo people have utilized the river as a source for their culture long before industrialization. Without the river and their ancestral lands the Kayapo are in danger of losing their culture, one that has been sustained by the large river.
Kayapo Children in the Xingu River
TheKayapo not only use the river in a utilitarian manner, but it is also a source of great pleasure. As soon as Kayapo infants are born they are taken to the river, it is such an important part of their lives that the Chief of the Kayapo people was devastated when he heard that the Brazilian Government would not budge on their decision.
Chief of the Kayapo
Brazil is at an interesting crossroads as a rapidly growing economic power, and must learn to temper fiscal growth with preserving diverse cultures and their livelihoods. The Brazilian government might have to look back one day and see an ugly history that lead to financial wealth.
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