“We fight for Mother Earth” – 19-year-old Artemisa Xakriabá
Artemisa Xakriabá is a 19-year-old Brazilian activist from the Xakriabá tribe located in the southeast end of Minas Gerais, Brazil. I had the privilege of living in Minas Gerais, but had not heard of her until today’s class. Artemisa is a great example of intersectionality as she bases her philosophy and leadership in the fact that she is not only from an indigenous tribe, but also a woman of color fighting for environmental rights.
In her speech at the New York City Climate Strike, she said:
“We, the indigenous peoples, are the children of nature, so we fight for our Mother Earth, because the fight for Mother Earth is the mother of all other fights. We are fighting for your lives. We are fighting for our lives. We are fighting for our sacred territory. But we are being persecuted, threatened, murdered, only for protecting our own territories. We cannot accept one more drop of indigenous blood spilled.”
Aside from its capital, Belo Horizonte, Minas is considered to be the countryside. Minas Gerais – which translates to “general mining” – is known for its natural beauty and has historically been exploited by white invaders. As it was one of the first places in the world where gemstones were mined, its history is entrenched with slavery, racism, classism, sexism, and environmental injustice that continues to trickle down into society today. Mining is still an issue today – Artemisa has even spoken in front of congress in Washington, where she commented:
“It’s a very sad thing to say, because within those eight to nine months of (Bolsonaro’s) term, a lot has changed. He wants to place mining inside the village, within the indigenous territories. They are killing our trees to put mining, putting the part of the economic groups, the politics itself, the agribusiness”
Diamantina – the town I lived in – was the first place in the world that Diamonds were found and mined. I wish I had taken advantage of the town’s history and explored environmental injustice in my classroom while I was there.
If you would like to know more about Artemisa, here is another great and quick article.
Hi Kate, thanks for sharing this post! The quotes that you pulled from the article were incredibly powerful. I think hearing stories about indigenous peoples from the Americas will be key in restoring our “Mother Earth.” That’s why I think your lesson on indigenous people will be so powerful as well. I wonder if you could tell your students her story as well? Especially if you have indigenous students in your classroom, they might be interested to hear inspiring stories from historically marginalized and oppressed people. Thanks again for sharing this!
Artemisa Xakriabá courage in advocating for indigenous rights and environmental justice is commendable. Her words at the New York City Climate Strike echo the vital importance of preserving sacred territories.
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Hi Kate, thanks for sharing this post!