Last Updated on March 28, 2016
The indigenous Ka’apor have been up against an ongoing battle with illegal loggers for many years.
The Ka’apor are located in the Brazilian state of Maranhao, a once densely forested region that has in recent years borne the brunt of rapid deforestation.
The Ka’apor’s traditional territory has been demarcated by the government, which means it is illegal for anyone not from the community to farm, hunt or harvest natural resources from the territory.
Unfortunately, this promising rule has thus far been of little use to the Ka’apor. It is rarely enforced by the government due to the size and difficulty in reaching the territory on the eastern side of the Amazon.
The Ka’apor have been left with no choice but to take matters into its own hands.
The Indigenous Peoples have started taking evasive action against the loggers; seizing illegally harvested timber, destroying equipment and physically expelling them. This course of action, however, has come with a price of its own.
This short video documentary tells the story of their struggle.
A film by Phil Clarke Hill and Ruy Sposati
Across the world right now, Indigenous peoples are facing a renewed assault on their lands, rights, and ways of life.
From extractive industries pushing deeper into ancestral territories, to governments rolling back hard-won protections,
the threat is global—and it is growing.
What makes this moment especially dangerous is how little attention it receives.
Stories like this are disappearing in real time. Mainstream media
barely covers it and the coverage is fragmented. The public is left without the context
needed to understand what is truly at stake.
That is exactly why IC Magazine exists..
For more than 20 years, IC has reported on Indigenous struggles worldwide — consistently, independently, and without compromise.
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John Ahni Schertow
Founder and Editor in Chief
