Leoncio Arara: One Man, Many Memories

His expression held a deep tint of sorrow, even though he tried his best to hide it through his gentle smile and warm presence. His smooth voice made it seem that he was just telling another story under the old mango tree in his village. His hands bore the lines only written by time, his mind full of untold stories that hold the knowledge of his people, of the forest, that will be buried with him alone. This elder is Leoncio, Arara warrior, who had only recently passed down his leadership and today he is witnessing the end of an era that will be left only in the memories of the elders or shared in books about the past.

Leoncio’s family has lived for generations in the Arara´s village located on the Big Bend of the Xingu. His life began in times when native people where still able be native people. He heard many stories from his father; including the time his father saw the Mother of the waters, who was so beautiful that she blinded his sight.

He stated, “The River is alive. The water is alive, it moves. It moves just like humans; It sleeps, it wakes. Each time it is asleep we have an opportunity to travel with ease because it is calm. All my life the river has existed and has had prosperity. The river is modern; it is everything! The water talks, the water screams. Anyone who spends all day in the water, can one day see it. The jungle is alive. The jungle isn’t full of bad spirits. Like water, the jungle moves. The jungle is visual. The mother of the river is a women and she is only as well as the Mother of the water.”

The river was always prosperous until Belo Monte arrived. Leoncio stated, “Since Norte Energia appeared everything changed for the worse.

Alcoholism and “laziness” has grown among our people. By the company giving us free food our people have no drive to provide their own food anymore. Additionally, with the food that they give at the indigenous house, no one wants to stay in the village. Our people have become very weak because of the movement of things, industrial foods, and boats.” Then sadly he adds: “Boats are good, if “we” have the river, they are good, but when the river ends? We will loose our road. How will we move when they close the river?”

On the other hand, Leoncio feels strong within himself and stays strong to his values. He assures me that when he goes into the city he buys his own meals, not eating or drinking anything that comes from Norte Energia. As well he assures that if he were called to go to Norte Energia he would go only “to kill or to die”.

When I asked him what he thinks of Norte Energia, he answered, “For me it is only sorrow and solitude. I don’t think they will bring anything good for “us”. They speak lies because they have no consciousness. They wont bring progress to “us”, they only came to create energy for others, not for our people”

Next I asked him, if he had the opportunity, what would he say to the authorities, to the president of BNDES (the Brazilian National Development Bank - financer of the project), to the president of Norte Energia, and to the President of Brazil. He answered, “Friend of mine, is your heart of flesh or stone? May it be that you don’t understand that without the road, that it will mean our end? With the dry river how will we live? What will we eat?”

That afternoon, Leoncio’s sorrows became mine. The pain that I witnessed and felt I carried in my chest, it felt like holding a block of concrete while rowing upstream. It was then I felt that I had failed. And I was left with the last lines of his story resonating through my ears, especially the phrase “friend of mine”. Through everything he could still refer to these people responsible for the destruction of his lands and his people as “friend of mine”….