April 19th, the Indigenous Peoples Day, had its name changed and re-signified, because “Indian Day” as it was previously called does not represent the diversity of the 305 peoples of Brazil and the word “Indian” is no longer used considering that it is an etymologically incorrect word and that it does not match in any way with the reality and truth of the indigenous peoples. In addition, the date has been celebrated since 1944, but was established under Decree-Law N° 5.540 in 1943 by then President Getúlio Vargas after the 1st Inter-American Indian Congress of 1940. It is important to emphasize that symbolically the name change is a victory of the struggle of the original peoples, because it shows indigenous people rewriting their history, being the main intermediaries of the discussions about their territories, lives and everything that covers their reality.
” It is important to emphasize that symbolically the name change is a victory of the struggle of the original peoples, because it shows indigenous people rewriting their history, being the main intermediaries of the discussions about their territories, lives and everything that covers their reality. “
For the indigenous peoples, the battle is not just a day, it is their whole life, so that the life of their generations and the continuity of their history, ancestry, and culture can be guaranteed; resistance is much more than the physical fight, resisting is directly linked to existing, and existing not only within the demarcated territory, but also outside, within schools, universities, companies, hospitals, or any other environment we may be in. Being indigenous is much more than what is shown in history books. For more than 500 years we have been limited and considered inferior for observing the world in a pure and genuine way, having nature as our main source of life and coexisting with it without harming it, we are not backward, on the contrary, we understand first that in order to have life it is necessary that the Forest remains standing, therefore, we should not be seen as a threat to a “developed” world, we should be the hope that there still is a world.
Text by Rayane Xipaia