Memories of Resistance

The Testimonies and Demands of Guarani-Kaiowá Leaders in the Face of Ongoing Violence

Abstract

This contribution aims to present the memories of members of traditional peoples and communities about the forms of action taken by police forces from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul (MS) and by armed farm henchmen (“pistoleiros/jagunços”) in Guarani-Kaiowá Indigenous Lands under land conflict, from the 1980s to 2024. Methodologically, this theoretical contribution starts from the perception of Guarani-Kaiowá indigenous leaders to highlight the longstanding demands of Guarani-Kaiowá leaders that began to be addressed by the Federal Government as of 2023, particularly concerning the protection of Indigenous families and communities under threat. The study draws on excerpts from chapters of a doctoral dissertation and includes translations of the testimonies of Indigenous leaders from reoccupied Indigenous territories in dispute, where attacks on Guarani-Kaiowá communities have occurred. These attacks include massacres, torture, forced removals, and assassinations of leaders, carried out both by hired gunmen and private security forces employed by landowners and by police operations aiming to expel Indigenous communities from reclaimed lands in conflict. The objective is to highlight the historical demands of the Aty Guasu organization’s leadership, presented to the Federal Government, for the protection of Guarani-Kaiowá communities and Indigenous Lands, emphasizing the testimonies of Indigenous leaders.