President of Yanomami commission in the Senate says they are "totally primitive"
However, Senator Chico Rodrigues argued that the Yanomami need to have their 'traditions, customs and language' preserved.
247 - Senator Chico Rodrigues, who presides over the Temporary External Committee, installed by the Senate on Wednesday (15) to monitor the humanitarian crisis in the Yanomami TI, said in an interview with GloboNews this Thursday (16) that the Yanomami are a 'primitive' people.
However, he did not advocate for the cultural assimilation of the Yanomami, stating that it was necessary to preserve the culture of this ethnic group.
"They are the last ethnic group on the planet in the 21st century that is still primitive, totally primitive, and their customs, language, etc., need to be maintained. The commission's focus is to monitor this, but we are seeing the human issue from both sides: the side of the vulnerable indigenous people, but also the side of 20 Brazilians who are being removed because they were illegally in that area," said the senator, referring to the gold miners targeted by the federal government's crackdown.
When asked if he supports illegal mining, Rodrigues replied that he "does not defend illegal miners," but rather "human development," and that the Yanomami people should remain "untouchable."
"The miners, in their overwhelming majority, are victims of this process," he stated, adding that they are supported by other people.
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