That question hit us when we came face to face with Shirley Djukurnã at the screening of the Kiva documentary from Marijke Kodden in Amersfoort on May 16.
Shirley’s life’s work is safeguarding the language, culture and traditions of the indigenous Krenak people in Brazil. But that’s not her only task. Shirley and all other indigenous people around the world are standing in the frontline of defending mother earth, according to Lakota Elder Cheryl Angel who also spoke at the event.
And Shirley’s story illustrates what a monumental task that is. For the ordeal of the Krenak people – once 30,000 strong before colonization by the Portuguese in the 17th century and decimated to some 600 today – continues.
Nowadays, the Krenak’s are suffering from the consequences of ‘progress’ to their living environment. The rapid deforestation of the Brazilian biomes – Amazon, Cerrado, Caatinga, Pantanal, Atlantic Forest, and Pampa – concerns us all and an environmental problem we are well aware of. But the devastation from mining and extraction of minerals and precious metals is what the inhabintants of the Doce River Valley in the Atlantic forest biome experience to this day.
The Doce River underwent the country’s worst environmental disaster, after the collapse of two tailing dams at the Fundão iron ore mine in 2015. The catastrophic pollution killed all life in and around the river. The devastation of this life source, which is also a sacred river for the indigenous people and important place for rituals – combined with grabbing land and water rights – are the new forms of oppression the Krenak have to endure.
Shirley stands for the rights of indigenous people who merely want the same that we all do: to live safely on our land, supported by the abundance of natural resources we need for our existence.
“One whose soul does not age” is the meaning of her name. She is a strong woman, concerned mother, women rights advocate as co-founder of ANMIGA (National Articulation of Indigenous Women Warriors of Ancestry) and force to be reckoned with. And she is evidently also a thorn in the side of some.
Just two days before we met Shirley, her close friend Lúcio Tembé, chief of Tembé People in Pará, was shot three times in the head. When she shared this with us – kneeling on the right knee and her left fist on the ground, struggling to keep her composure on the small stage of the film theatre – our bubble burst.
Last year, Frank genuinely thought it was a good idea to switch his diesel fuelled car for an all-electric replacement as his contribution to emission reductions and improving his environmental footprint.
Last Tuesday we realized that is not the solution because:
- There are simply not enough mineable lithium and rare earth minerals to power our vehicle hungry world.
- Mining that doesn’t serve all life on Earth causes death, destruction and pollution.
Now what?
- When we all stop and take a big step backward, we can reflect on where we stand with our sustainability efforts. That allows us to assess whether our solutions for the sustainability challenge are properly oriented.
- Also, while we are all focused on saving the planet, it is worth considering whether the planet is perfectly capable of taking care of itself.
- If we aspire to be the change we want to see in the world, self-care and self-awareness is the departure point for any decision we make.
When we get better connected with self, we deeply realize how connected we all are – as the ancient Kogi tribe civilization from Colombia has been trying to tell her younger brother (us, the modern civilization) for decades now.
And the changes the Krenak tribe is trying to bring about to their environment is a reminder, stronger even, an invitation for us to do the same for our environment.
This blog is based on the Heartwork newsletter, 21st of May 2023. Would you like to read more inspiring content?