Indigenous groups snub Lula as patience runs out

On January 1, 2023, upon returning to the presidency and beginning his third non-consecutive term in charge, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva walked up the ramp of the Planalto Palace accompanied by eight people and his dog. These consisted of representatives of marginalized communities in Brazil, symbolizing that Lula’s administration would govern for these often overlooked and disempowered populations.

Holding Lula’s hand as he made his way to the top of the ramp to receive the presidential sash was indigenous leader Raoni Metuktire, an internationally renowned icon of the indigenous and environmental struggle in Brazil’s Amazon. 

The message here was clear: entering office after the four-year administration of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro — who sought to roll back indigenous rights at several opportunities — the Lula government would represent hope for Brazil’s traditional communities.

Fast-forward just over three months, and that hope had already begun to fade. Lula was unable to keep his promise of demarcating 14 new indigenous lands in the first 100 days of his administration, delivering just six.

Now, almost 500 days into the Lula government, those original 14 indigenous lands have still not been ratified. And indigenous organizations appear to have lost patience with the left-leaning president.

This week, thousands of people from scores of different indigenous groups are gathered in the capital city, Brasília, for the 2024 edition of the Acampamento Terra Livre (Free Land Camp, or ATL) — the country’s largest mobilization of indigenous communities. And, unlike the last two editions, Lula hasn’t been invited.

In an open letter at the beginning of this year’s ATL, the Indigenous People’s Coordination (Apib) wrote that...