Kanamari people advance in social organization and gender equity

Aldeia São João, located in the Kanamari indigenous land of the Juruá River, Amazonas, hosted a remarkable and historic meeting for the Kanamari people of Xeruã. In June of this year, during the XIV Ordinary Assembly of the Association of the Tâkuna People of the Xeruã River (Aspotax), important advances were achieved in the collective management of the organization and in the inclusion of women in leadership positions for the first time.

The event brought together 50 people, among residents of the three Kanamari villages, representatives of the Deni people, neighbors of the Kanamari territory, and indigenists from Operation Native Amazon (OPAN). For three days, topics such as health, education and territorial surveillance were discussed. In addition, the Assembly held the first election of women leaders, the rendering of accounts and the presentation of the work plan of the association’s board.

“In 2023, we took over the board of Aspotax and the first assembly[da nova diretoria]It wasn’t easy, because most people weren’t confident in us because we were getting started. But now we are having some answers to the demands of the community, we are working as a team and the staff is more confident”, reported José Welga Kanamari, vice president of Aspotax.

Kanamari women in leadership for the first time

Until recently, the political representation in the three villages of the Kanamari Indigenous Land of the Juruá River was composed exclusively of men. However, the XIV Aspotax Assembly brought a historic change: six women were elected to politically represent the Kanamari, marking a new chapter in the trajectory of the association and the people. From now on, men and women share the leadership, articulating demands and representing their communities in the annual assemblies.

“The intention is for them to participate more in the day-to-day of the association. It can’t just be men leading, women also have to participate,” said the vice president. In addition to the new community leaders, Waomah Érica Kanamari, just 16 years old, was elected to lead the youth. The young woman shared the challenges and expectations of taking on this responsibility.

“It was difficult to occupy this place. At first I didn’t understand well, but I learned and now I feel happy for what I am and what I represent. I was chosen for this role, and I will help young people by holding meetings in the villages, giving strength and encouraging them to occupy other spaces.”
This historic landmark happened shortly after the first participation of a delegation of women from the middle juruá, which included representatives of the Kanamari, Deni and Madija peoples, in the March of Indigenous Women held in 2023, in Brasília. The event brought together more than 8,000 women from 247 indigenous peoples from Brazil, and the three Kanamari women who were in the march shared the experience and topics discussed with the other women who could not participate.

Training strengthens the management of Aspotax

In 2023, through the Raízes do Purus project, carried out by OPAN sponsored by Petrobras and the federal government, a training in associativism was carried out to improve the management capacity of Aspotax. In response to a demand from the Kanamari people, the training approached the functions of the members of the Association, in addition to the elaboration of projects and other documents. At the time, 40 people participated in the training, including members of the current board of Aspotax, teachers, leaders and residents of the three villages.

José Welga, vice president of the association, highlighted that the workshop was crucial for understanding the functions of each member of the board, strengthening teamwork. “The training in Associativism had theory, practice and gave us a vision of how to work together, as a team. We are striving to be transparent, and the community is always informed about everything that happens in the association”, he explained.