By Luma Lessa for Collaborative Coverage of the Indigenous Women’s March (translated by Daiara Tukano
Sunday (08/11) dawned with the cultural presentations of women’s delegations from over 100 indigenous peoples from all over Brazil. Then about 1,500 indigenous women gathered for the activities of the Indigenous Women National Forum. Sonia Guajajara opened the event by inviting women from 21 states to talk about the theme: “Territory: our body, our spirit.” The discussions addressed the building of concrete demands and strategies of indigenous women for their empowerment, the violation of health, education and security rights, the right to land and resumption processes, and the occupation of indigenous women in politics.
In the afternoon, tables brought guests to discuss networking between movements. Joenia Wapichana, Federal Deputy (Rede-RR), indigenous women from Latin America, indigenous representatives from Peru and Ecuador, and a representative of UN Women Brazil attended the meeting. There was also the roundtable for National Alliances, which was attended by representatives of the Brazilian Articulation of Indigenous Peoples (APIB), the March of Daisies, Black Women, Brazilian Women’s Articulation (AMB) and the National Coordination of Quilombola Rural Black Communities (CONAQ).
In Monday (12/08) the focus is the “Indigenous Women in Defense of Indigenous Health SASI-SUS” Act. The march left the headquarters of the camp in Funarte towards the Special Secretariat of Indigenous Health (Sesai). The first walk of the 1st Indigenous Women March took to the streets of Brasilia to protest the end of The indigenous Health System municipalization and the immediate departure of Silvia Nobre, current coordinator of the SESAI. The arrival at the secretariat faced the attempt of the Military Police to block the entrance of the indigenous leaders to the building. However, the women managed to enter and occupy the space. The day ends with the participation of a women’s delegation in the hearing, scheduled to start at 17h, in the Supreme Court (STF).
The walk continues tomorrow, August 13th, at 7:00 am with the departure from the Indigenous Women’s March from the main camp at FUNARTE towards the Esplanade of Ministries. The March joins the National Act Against Dismantling of Public Education, scheduled for 9am. At the same time will take place the Solemn Chamber of Deputies with the Daisies. In the afternoon, there are workshops and activities with the Daisies in the City Park, followed by the opening of the Daisy March at 19h in the same place.
The Indigenous Women March ends on Wednesday (14/08), joining forces with the March of Daisies in a joint walk. The daisies and indigenous meeting will take place at Funarte. The expectation is about 100 thousand people for the March 13 and 14 August. The last activity of the day, scheduled for 2 pm, will be the Plenary for the approval of the Final Document with the theme “Watering Seeds: The Future of the Forum and the Indigenous Women March”. In the end, delegations return to their places of origin renewed with the forces and strategies shared between indigenous women of diverse peoples and with peasant women in these intense days of mobilizing the largest female action in Latin America.