Indigenous Peoples and Mining in Rondônia: Histories, Traditions and Law
Indigenous. Gold Digger. Mining. Human Rights. Conflicts.
Several indigenous ethnic groups across the Amazon have a long history of contact with the prospecting activity, sometimes as an exogenous element, practiced by non-indigenous people, sometimes embedded in their own communal daily practices as an alternative economic activity within a historical tradition. With the legislative imbroglio that occurred after the Constitution of 88 regarding the regulation of mining in indigenous lands, the fierce militancy on the big mining companie lobbyists and other gold diggers cooperatives, combined with the interests of politicians notoriously committed to the ruralist landowning, and , recently called “evangelical”, have accelerated in the sense of liberating the Indigenous Lands already demarcated, or in the demarcation phase, for mining, showing the economic dispute for the subsoil in these territories. In opposition to this movement, on the other hand, associations and NGOs in defense of indigenous peoples, environmental organizations and even some governmental departments of protection and control, argue to the contrary, positioning themselves favorably to projects that privilege sustainability and the self-determination of peoples in these areas. Parallel to these disputes, indigenous and non-indigenous people have been mining illegally in almost all areas already demarcated, causing, in general, serious environmental and social damages, especially to indigenous communities. Thus, we intend to identify ahead, certain perspectives that can unravel the understanding of the complexities involved, considering some technical elements and historical traditions, intending to contribute to this research, in order to broaden the understanding of the problems involved in its relationship with Human Rights, through of making a documentary film, intending to hear the voice of some of the main protagonists affected by the referred problem in Brazil and, especially, in the Rondônia State.