Thousands of Indigenous people from across Brazil marched through the capital Brasília on Sunday, April 5, as part of the 22nd Acampamento Terra Livre (Free Land Camp), the country’s largest annual Indigenous mobilization.
Representing hundreds of Indigenous groups, including the Tikuna, Kokama, Makuxí, Tupinambá, and Pataxó, participants walked approximately six kilometers from the Ibero-American Cultural Axis to the National Congress, under intense heat, to demand the protection of their territories and rights.
Carrying banners reading “Our Territory Is Not For Sale” and “The Future Is Indigenous,” protesters criticized lawmakers for advancing policies they say undermine constitutional protections and open Indigenous lands to exploitation by agribusiness, mining, and large-scale development projects.
“Our march is peaceful, heading towards a Congress that is not peaceful, that is an enemy of Indigenous peoples,” said a representative of the Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil (Apib), which organized the event.
A central issue for demonstrators was the controversial “Marco Temporal” doctrine, which seeks to limit Indigenous land claims to territories occupied in 1988. Although Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled the framework unconstitutional in 2023, lawmakers have continued efforts to reinstate it through constitutional amendments.
Indigenous leaders say the policy would strip many communities of their ancestral lands and worsen an already critical situation marked by violence and delayed land demarcation. According to government data, dozens of claims remain unresolved, with more than 100 areas still under review.
“We continue in this fight for territorial guarantee,” said Apib executive coordinator Dinamam Tuxá, pointing to a backlog of land recognition cases and ongoing threats to Indigenous communities.
The march also highlighted broader demands for increased funding for agencies responsible for Indigenous protection, such as the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai), and stronger representation of Indigenous peoples in political institutions.
Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL) expressed support for the mobilization, linking the struggle in Brazil to the resistance of indigenous peoples and national minority groups worldwide.
“Today, in the face of immense imperialist power so brazen in wiping nations and civilizations, and disregarding sovereignty, Acampamento Terra Livre asserts that organized peoples’ assertion of self-determination will never bow down to foreign colonial masters and their cohorts,” said IPMSDL Global Coordinator Beverly Longid.
The group also warned of shared threats faced by Indigenous communities worldwide. “As we face shared threats—from militarization and land grabbing to corporate plunder—we reaffirm our commitment to support and deepen our solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil,” Longid said.
