Joenia Wapichana, the first indigenous woman to head Funai, takes office: "Never again a Brazil without us."

Brasil de Fato - The new president of the National Indigenous Peoples Foundation (Funai), lawyer and former federal deputy Joenia Wapichana, took office this Friday (3) promising to rebuild the indigenous agency and manage it based on the demands of indigenous organizations.

This is the first time that Funai, created 55 years ago, will be headed by an indigenous person. "Never again a Brazil without us," Joenia declared in her speech.

Wearing a headdress, traditional face paint, and a Funai brooch, Joenia said that her priority will be to demarcate, protect, and expel illegal miners from indigenous lands. To overcome the lack of resources available to Funai, she announced that she intends to seek parliamentary amendments and partnerships with NGOs and foreign governments.

 We are here [at Funai] not only with the physical presence, but also the spiritual presence of our ancestors. For me, that is very powerful - Joenia Wapichana

In addition to taking office, Joenia used the event to sign her first administrative measures as head of the agency. She formalized the creation of a Working Group (WG) to work with the Yanomami and initiated seven processes for the demarcation of indigenous lands.

He also signed the restriction on the use of two indigenous lands with the presence of isolated groups that were left unprotected under the Bolsonaro government: Jacareúba/Katawixi (AM) and Piripkura (MS).

"This is the first step we need to take: reorganize Funai, strengthen it, and seek funding," he said.

Funai resumed

The inauguration officially marks the end of the disastrous management of Federal Police (PF) delegate Marcelo Xavier, who presided over Funai from 2019. A staunch executor of the "zero demarcation" policy implemented by Jair Bolsonaro, Xavier distanced the agency from indigenous leaders and handed over the management of Funai to rural landowners and the military. 

The historic inauguration ceremony took place at the Memorial of Indigenous Peoples in Brasília (DF), with the presence of the Ministers of the Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, and of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara. 

In the packed hall were also indigenous leaders such as Chief Raoni Metuktire and the Secretary of Indigenous Health, Weibe Tapeba, as well as parliamentarians, former presidents of Funai, and employees of the agency. 

In her speech, Joenia said that Bolsonaro is accused of indigenous genocide and lamented the humanitarian crisis among the Yanomami. She also recalled the death of indigenous rights activist Bruno Pereira, who was persecuted by the federal government for attempting to expel illegal miners from the Vale do Javari Indigenous Territory when he was an active employee of FUNAI (National Indian Foundation). 

"Funai is full of lawsuits for omission and negligence. But now we are going to reverse that. Because instead of Funai persecuting its employees, instead of closing its doors to indigenous peoples, Funai has to be on the side of indigenous peoples," declared Joenia. 

Indigenous pioneer

Joenia graduated in Law from the Federal University of Roraima (UFRR) and holds a master's degree in International Law from the University of Arizona. Born in Boa Vista, Roraima, she was the first Indigenous woman in Brazil to practice law and also the first Indigenous federal deputy in Brazil. She was a legal advisor to the Indigenous Council of Roraima (CIR), working on various demarcation processes in the state.