“Defying Brazilian Government, Indigenous Group Proceeds with Demarcation of Amazonian Territory”, November 5, 2014

…The Munduruku people have taken the extraordinary measure to…[do]…the "auto-demarcation" of the 178,000 hectare Sawré Muybu indigenous territory…[which is]…a… challenge to the federal government's refusal to comply with legal obligations to demarcate Munduruku lands that would be directly impacted by the highly controversial São Luiz do Tapajós and Jatobá mega-dams, slated for construction on the Tapajós river. In October 2013, after completing field studies…Brazil's indigenous agency FUNAI completed a technical report confirming the status of Sawre Muybu as the Munduruku people's traditional indigenous territory. Under intense pressure from the Rousseff administration, FUNAI and the Ministry of Justice have refused to officially publish the report, stalling demarcation. Lacking formal recognition, this indigenous territory remains highly vulnerable to illegal land grabs, mining and logging. Last week, in response to a lawsuit filed by the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office…, federal judge Rafael Leite Paulo issued a ruling that requires FUNAI to publish its report within 15 days and determine the final decision on demarcation of the Sawre Muybu territory…The Munduruku have consistently protested the federal government's repeated attempts to proceed with licensing and construction of the Tapajós dams, while disregarding their right to a process of free, prior, and informed consultation and consent…Such resistance has included denying access to their territories and detaining technicians found on their lands. President Rousseff responded by deploying police and military forces to serve as security for teams conducting technical studies for dam construction…