Brazil: Brazil's First Indigenous Congresswoman Defends Her People's Rights From Bolsonaro

Feb 19, 2019 | Fabiano Maisonnave
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When indigenous leader Joênia Wapichana first came across Jair Bolsonaro, she was appalled. The year was 2008, and there was a heated debate about the demarcation of Raposa/Serra do Sol Indigenous Land (TIRSS), inhabited by 25,000 people from five different ethnicities in Brazil’s far north. While waiting for a final decision from the Supreme Court, white farmers resorted to violence. In the worst incident, ten indigenous people were shot, although not fatally.