“All Ka’apor know how to live in the forest and from the forest without destroying it”

Tuxa Ta Pame statement opposing Wildlife Works’ proposed REDD project in the Alto Turiaçu Indigenous Territory, Brazil.

Since February 2023, Wildlife Works has been developing a REDD project in the Alto Turiaçu Indigenous Territory in the State of Maranhão, Brazil. But the Tuxa Ta Pame, the Ka’apor Management Council opposes the project. On 30 May 2025, a Federal Court in Maranhão granted an injunction that temporarily suspends the REDD project and bars Wildlife Works and its representatives from carry out activities related to the proposed REDD project.

The Tuxa Ta Pame accuses Wildlife Works of not conducting a process of free, prior and informed consent. In March 2023, Wildlife Works signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ka’apor Ta Hury Association, which is in agreement with the project.

The Tuxa Ta Pame yesterday put out a statement about their opposition to the REDD project. The Maranhão Agroecology Network (RAMA) has posted the statement on its website — the following is RAMA’s introduction and the statement from the Ka’apor Tuxa Ta Pame Management Council.

Tuxa resists: Ka’apor people confront invaders and reject carbon market

The Maranhão Agroecology Network (RAMA) joins forces with the Ka’apor Tuxa Ta Pame Management Council, representing the Ka’apor indigenous people in Alto Turiaçu (MA), in denouncing serious ongoing rights violations in the territory, resulting from the advances of a REDD+ project, without the due process of consultation and free, prior and informed consent, as determined by ILO Convention 169.

The Tuxa Ta Pame group is making its position public in the context of the socio-environmental conflict that threatens its territory, its autonomy and its way of life. The statement we publish below was written by the Indigenous People themselves, in resistance, mobilisation and direct communication with Brazilian and international society.

We recognise the legitimacy of the Ka’apor struggle and reaffirm our commitment to guaranteeing good living, defending Indigenous rights, the living forest and the self-determination of peoples.

Below, we publish the full statement from the Ka’apor Tuxa Ta Pama Management Council.

Note to the opponents of Good Living

We are the Tuxa of the Ka’apor people. We live in the forest and from the forest, doing and following everything that Mair left for us to live, fighting against the forms of domination of the Awa’i coloniser.

All Ka’apor know how the ancient Tuxa lived, what good example he left for the Ka’apor te to live well, because our history shows that we cannot be treacherous, liars like Ae, nor greedy, arrogant and false like Saracura. These are the Ka’aporan.

Unfortunately, you Awa’i ended up introducing behaviours into the world that reinforce the project of Ae and Saracura. This state project began with SPI and then with Funai.

The Awa’i brought religion, which suffocates and kills our spiritualities. Our spirituality manifests itself in everything that has life in the forest, as is Mair. They also brought the chiefs, the caciques who nullify, erase and destroy dialogue and our collective ways of living. We do not accept the leadership of caciques.

In 2013, in a major week-long meeting, we brought together all the Ka’apor leaders from all the communities in the territory to think of a way to end these practices brought by the evil Awa’i, which could lead us to lose our culture and territory. Together, we decided to return to the Tuxa way of life, through Jupihu Katu ha or the “Ka’apor Coexistence Agreement”.

In 2015, we defended our territory against a logging company from Nova Conquista and Zé Doca, but among us, the followers of Ae and Saracura preferred to side with the aggressors, criminalising the Tuxás and their advisors. State officials joined the Ka'aporan to try to turn the invaders into victims.

Some Ka’aporan with a history of marriages with Awa’i, and others, found it good to live like Ae and Saracura. They decided to follow and join Awa’i in the great projects of destruction of the forest and life – loggers, farmers, land grabbers, Vale do Rio Doce Mining, Forest Market with carbon credits.

We are Tuxa, of the Ka’apor people, we are scattered across various regions of our territory, even though some are still silenced, others chained, others suffocated by the evil ka’aporan and Awa’i, but we wish to free ourselves from the ways of Ae and Saracura to follow Mair.

We will continue to fight to be Tuxa, following Mair, who is with us in everything and everywhere in the struggle and resistance for a Good Life.

The federal justice system of the Awa’i has already removed the clandestine North American company Wildlife Works Brasil from our territory. And we know that it continues to finance attacks against us and our advisers.

All Ka’apor know how to live in the forest and from the forest without destroying it. And we know that they gave us this name because if there is no forest, there will be no Ka’apor. We do not accept negotiating our home and all our relatives who live in it. Money is just a piece of paper that leaves our hands and then we no longer have it. It only causes conflict and death.

We filed a lawsuit against Wildlife Works Brasil, a foreign company that deceives our relatives. They do not understand or speak Portuguese well, but they were convinced by the Ka’aporan to sign the minutes of a meeting for a project that has not even been regulated in Brazil.

Our position against carbon credits is the same and is shared by many peoples in the Americas and other continents around the world.

Our decision is legitimate because it respects the climate and defends food sovereignty and territories around the world. Our decision is final; it does not go to the polls or count numbers because being Tuxa means being with the Tuxa. It is a feeling of truly belonging to the Ka’apor people.

Our forest and our territory protect us and our generations forever.

We demand respect for Tuxa ta pa me, our Ka’a mu katu ha who, as guardians of good living, prevent aggressors from entering. Respect our Jumu’eha renda Keruhu, who guides our ways of teaching and learning from the forest in our community culture and education centre. Respect our Jupihu katu ha, who is guided by the Ka’apor culture in our daily lives against the vices of alcohol, drugs, and other aggressive ways of life of the Awa’i.

Respect our autonomy, our self-government, our way of being, living, and deciding as Ka’apor te.

Tuxa knows, Tuxa lives, Tuxa decides!