Indigenous people are fighting for land in Vicente Dutra.

Iuri Müller
On the 21 Located on the border with Santa Catarina and a few kilometers from the border with Argentina, the city of Vicente Dutra, in northern Rio Grande do Sul, has been the scene of clashes between indigenous people, farmers, and owners of a resort. The conflict occurs in an area already declared and demarcated as indigenous land. However, part of the territory is still occupied by a tourist resort, which delays a resolution for the Kaingang community.

Last week, the scenario went from an atmosphere of tension to episodes of direct confrontation. Indignant at the delay in guaranteeing the use of the area, demarcated in 2004, the indigenous people decided to spontaneously occupy the tourist resort at the end of the afternoon last Wednesday (20). The action ended in a confrontation between indigenous people, a security guard from the resort and the Military Brigade.

Representatives of the indigenous community stated that the security guard repeatedly fired in the direction of the Kaingang people, while the watchman, who ended up hospitalized, said he was attacked with arrows and machetes. Despite the incidents, the place was occupied that same night, but retaken by the owners the following day.

The episode triggered a further escalation of already troubled relations between the groups involved in the demarcation and compensation of lands in northern Rio Grande do Sul. Indigenous people complain about the delays in action by both the federal and state governments, while farmers and other landowners fear losing ownership of the areas where they have settled in recent years. The federal Constitution, however, designates the demarcation of traditionally indigenous areas as a duty of the State.

In a letter published on its official website, the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI) stated that indigenous leaders who participated in the action in any way have been receiving threats and attempts at intimidation, by phone and online.

However, they remain in the area near the Águas do Prado resort. The statement also affirms that, according to the indigenous people, the operation of the resort hinders the "homologation and removal" of intruders from the indigenous land.

According to Elton Scapini, director-general of the Secretariat of Rural Development of Rio Grande do Sul, the situation in Vicente Dutra has distinct characteristics compared to other disputes. “There, we have the situation of it being a border area. In the 1960s, there was an agreement between the federal and state governments, and the Union delegated the land titling process in these territories to the state. But the responsibility, in any case, remains with the Union. Furthermore, there is a particular situation in this city involving the thermal area,” says Scapini.

Initially, the displaced farmers receive compensation for improvements made in good-faith occupations, but the federal government is studying expanding the compensation to include land ownership – which would facilitate the compensation process and the resumption of territories by indigenous people. “In Vicente Dutra, an area already declared and demarcated, this could resolve the issue, but that's my interpretation. In other places, the farmers don't even want to hear about compensation and say they will remain in their locations,” states the director-general of the secretariat.

In a meeting held after the incident, according to the CIMI website, representatives from the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF) and the National Indian Foundation (Funai) signed an agreement that seeks to guarantee compensation and resettlement for twenty farmers from Vicente Dutra by March of next year.