The life of a Munduruku woman in the defense of her people and territory

Abstract

My name is Maria Leusa Munduruku. I am 33 years old and was born in the village of Missão Cururu, on the upper Tapajós River, in the Munduruku Indigenous land. I am the mother of five children and have a grandchild, and I am married. I am a warrior and a defender of the territory and of the life of our Munduruku people. As a woman, I have to look after the children, my grandchild, the house and the crops, and go into the struggle to defend our territory against invaders: wildcat miners, loggers and many others. I am also at the forefront of our people’s organizations, in meetings, assemblies and women’s workshops. In this text I will tell you a little about my life trajectory in becoming a leader and about the context of threats brought about by the current government. As a movement, we consider these spaces for sharing experiences with other peoples important, including peoples who are not from here, from Brazil. For us, building and maintaining these alliances is very important in order to continue the struggle. Our struggles are not different; only the country differs, but our struggle is the same. Our pain is the same; our spilled blood is the same.