Collective Suicide Planned for Guarani

Here is a story that I wanted to bring your attention to . . . a terrible story of suffering and denial that has culminated in a request for collective suicide.

A letter signed by the leaders of the indigenous village Guarani-Kaiowá of Mato Grosso do Sul, and referred to the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI), announces the collective suicide of 170 men, women and children if the federal court order to remove the group from the Cambará Ranch, where are temporarily camped on the river Hovy, in the city of Naviraí. For several years, the Indians have petitioned for the demarcation of their traditional lands, now occupied by ranchers and guarded by gunmen. The leader of PV in the House, Mr Sarney Filho (MA), sent a letter to Minister of Justice requesting steps to prevent the tragedy.

At present, the suicide rate is about 1/week for the Guarani people  . . .  a statistic that is not far off from the Native American populations in the United States, where suicide rates for native populations is 70% higher than that of the general population. On some reservations, the rate has been said to be 10 times greater than that of the national average. An issue that the US Senate has looked at but, has failed to fully understand, suicide among native populations continues to be a matter of grave concern.

If you are interested in reading more about the ongoing situation with the Guarani in Brazil, please read the story Kill us all, then bury us here just posted by Survival International.