The odds of indigenous leader Raoni winning the Nobel Peace Prize

For non-Brazilian observers of President Jair Bolsonaro’s speech at the UN General Assembly last week, one name—crowbarred in among a long list of diatribes—might not have come as terribly familiar: Raoni Metuktire, an indigenous chief, who is the leader of the Kayapó people. 

At 89 years old, Raoni, with his unmistakably large lip plate, is a bonafide defender of the Amazon rainforest—and arguably the most famous spokesperson for the indigenous cause internationally. This year alone, he met with French President Emmanuel Macron and Pope Francis—to whom he denounced the environmental policies being carried out by the Jair Bolsonaro administration. His name was recently put forward by Brazilian anthropologists and environmentalists as a candidate for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for his lifetime work.

For President Jair Bolsonaro, though, Raoni is little more than a “pawn” for international organizations. In his speech before the UN, Mr. Bolsonaro said Raoni and other leaders are “used by foreign governments in their informational warfare to advance their interests in the Amazon.” He also said Raoni “does not speak for all indigenous people,” blamed indigenous groups for Amazon fires, and promised to open the...