Kayapo Еxpeditions

Expeditions by foot and river complement the role of guard posts for occupying and defending sections of border not yet monitored by a guard post. They are also important venues for transmission of traditional territorial and cultural knowledge from elder to youth; and therefore, provide training in traditional and modern territorial surveillance as well as instilling Kayapo pride.

Riozinho

2022 Expedition

Associação Floresta Protegida representing Kubenkranken organized an expedition of two weeks by 15 members of this community to patrol ~200 km of the Riozinho river from the village north to where the Riozinho river empties into the Fresco river. This expedition was especially arduous because it took place during the dry season when the water level in the Riozinho river is very low. The objective of the expedition was to check for any signs of invasion as indicated, for example, by muddy water from goldmining flowing into the Riozinho from feeder streams, and ii) generate income for the community. No signs of illegal activity were observed.

The Kubenkranken expedition (marked in blue) beginning in the south at the village of Kubenkranken and ending downriver some 200 north at the border of Kayapo territory. Kayapo villages are marked by green dots; goldmining indicated in yellow.

Menkragnoti Velho

2022 Expedition

This is an original village of the Kayapo located deep in the huge Menkragnoti territory with air access only. Members of this community long sought road connection to the 200+ km track that connects the interior village of Kubenkokre to the frontier town of Castelo dos Sonhos. Because of its isolated location members of Menkragnoti Velho are unable to participate in a guard post. Therefore, the decision was made by their representative NGO the Instituto Kabu to help this community by supporting an expedition of 15 Kayapo men that served both to generate income and open a 25-km track to Kubenkokre so that members of Menkragnoti Velho can reach town and participate in the guard post program.

Akrotidjam

2021 Expedition

The Akrotidjam expedition set out to:

  • re-clear a section of border,
  • locate the decades old federal government geodesic survey markers permanently fixed to the ground for demarcating indigenous territory (the part of Kayapo’s territory: TI Kayapo),
  • check whether the geodesic markers had not been moved or destroyed by ranchers,
  • check for encroachment by ranchers. Four km of trail was cleared in very degraded post-deforestation area. No intact geodesic markers were located. A single old government sign announcing indigenous territory was found.

 

 

Young Kayapo members of the Akrotidjam expedition examine part of a geodesic indigenous territory border marker they found.