Indigenous people in Brazil march to demand land recognition

Thousands of Indigenous people marched in Brazil’s capital, calling on the government to officially recognise lands they have lived on for centuries and to protect territories from criminal activities such as illegal mining.

With posters bearing messages such as “The future is Indigenous”, they walked on Thursday towards Three Powers Square, where Congress, the Supreme Court and the Planalto presidential palace are located in Brasilia.

A group of Indigenous leaders entered the palace to talk to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, while others shouted outside the building: “Our rights are not negotiable.” Last week, he backed down from the creation of four Indigenous territories, citing opposition from state governors.

In addition to calls for more land recognition, some tribes protested a proposed 950km (590 miles) rail project to transport soybeans from the state of Mato Grosso, in the central part of the country, to ports along the Tapajos River, a large Amazon tributary.

Indigenous leaders from the Kayapo, Panara and Munduruku tribes said they had not been adequately consulted and feared the new infrastructure would lead to increased deforestation.