Blocked access to territory of origin on the banks of the São Francisco River

The Xakriabá people of Minas Gerais had part of their territory recognized, in 1987, with the ratification of the Xakriabá Indigenous Land, located mostly in the municipality of São João das Missões and with a small portion in Itacarambi. However, a large part of the territory remained outside the demarcated area. In 2003, the Xakriabá Rancharia Indigenous Land in São João das Missões was ratified. The two combined comprise an area of about 53 thousand hectares. Now, the Xakriabá claim another area of extreme importance for the preservation of their rituals, identity and their very existence.  It is located along the São Francisco River, in the municipality of Itacarambi, in the Xakriabá people’s territory of origin.

Xakriabá territory is located in the cerrado region in northern Minas Gerais. The climate is hot all year round and the rainy season is in October and March. The Xakriabá people raise many animals, mainly cattle, and the climate is very hot, so there are many dams throughout the territory, whose construction was authorized by the Indigenous families themselves.

The fact that the Xakriabá do not have access to the São Francisco River directly impacts the livelihood of the 36 villages where they live. A high rate of drowning, for example, is reported at the dams, mainly of children between 6 and 11 years old. Every year drowning occurs in the territory, but we don’t have all the recorded data. If the people had access to their homelands along the São Francisco River, this number would certainly diminish or disappear entirely.