Brazilian tribe fights repression
UND's Professor Mikulak raises awareness and advocacy for the indigenous Xukuru people.
Robert Lukes
Issue date: 11/24/09 Section: News
One reactionary result of the rebirth of an indigenous peoples movement is the use of violence as an attempt at repression. The previous Xukuru chief was assassinated in 1998. Today, his son is the chief and lives under constant death threats and the harsh reality of state oppression. In the aftermath of an attempt on Marcos' life, the Federal Prosecutor's Office charged him with instigating the attempt on his own life. Pending appeal, Chief Marcos faces a sentence of ten years and four months in prison.
Joseph Mandala, a law student at UND, thanked the large crowd that came to the event. "You've taken the effort to understand another's struggles," Mandala said, before encouraging those present to sign petitions and send letters to show the presence of international pressure in defense of indigenous human rights.
Twyla Baker-Demaray, the Director of the National Resource Center on Native American Aging (NRCNAA) at the Center for Rural Health, described some of the parallels between the struggles of the Xukuru people and indigenous people in the United States, saying that much of the impetus behind the movement is "the struggle to define ourselves the way we want to."
Gregory Gordon, an Assistant Professor at the School of Law and the Director of the UND Center for Human Rights and Genocide Studies, offered an international law perspective on the issues facing the Xukuru and other persecuted native people. "Obviously the Xukuru people have been persecuted," Gordon said. However, "It's very important to get a coherent legal strategy together."
Earlier in the evening, a video was shown that documented the Xukuru people's movement in their own voices. The film showed some of the popular actions taken by indigenous activists to rally support against state repression and vigilante violence. At one march, Chief Marcos Xukuru said, "We urge people everywhere to join this fight, which is one fight. Let the people go forward!"
Joseph Mandala, a law student at UND, thanked the large crowd that came to the event. "You've taken the effort to understand another's struggles," Mandala said, before encouraging those present to sign petitions and send letters to show the presence of international pressure in defense of indigenous human rights.
Twyla Baker-Demaray, the Director of the National Resource Center on Native American Aging (NRCNAA) at the Center for Rural Health, described some of the parallels between the struggles of the Xukuru people and indigenous people in the United States, saying that much of the impetus behind the movement is "the struggle to define ourselves the way we want to."
Gregory Gordon, an Assistant Professor at the School of Law and the Director of the UND Center for Human Rights and Genocide Studies, offered an international law perspective on the issues facing the Xukuru and other persecuted native people. "Obviously the Xukuru people have been persecuted," Gordon said. However, "It's very important to get a coherent legal strategy together."
Earlier in the evening, a video was shown that documented the Xukuru people's movement in their own voices. The film showed some of the popular actions taken by indigenous activists to rally support against state repression and vigilante violence. At one march, Chief Marcos Xukuru said, "We urge people everywhere to join this fight, which is one fight. Let the people go forward!"
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