A River No More?

Parakanã celebrate arrival with dance

Preparations are heating up for the opening of the Xingu Indigenous Gathering. Buses arrive every hour from distant towns such as Redenção, Tucumã, and Colíder, bringing indigenous families to Altamira, to discuss the future of the Xingu Basin.

I spend the early part of the afternoon talking with leaders of the Xikrin indigenous group, who have been approached by Brazilian state electric company Eletrobrás to "accept" the Belo Monte Dam project. We talk awhile and it becomes clear that the company has never mentioned the impacts the world's third largest dam would have on their land and resources, drying out the Bacajá, affecting water quality and quantity, fish stocks, and the health of the Xikrin.

Then, it's off to the Betânia meeting center, where more than 800 indigenous people will be housed during the event. The Kayapó stop their bus a few kilometers from the center, to take time to paint their faces and bodies with urucum and genipapo. They arrive at the meeting center chanting and dancing.

The meeting will open tonight with a speech by the Bishop of the Xingu, Dom Erwin Krautler and the presentation of the indigenous delegations.