Why are Indigenous Peoples occupying Fazenda Cristal?
To protect their last water sources from lithium mining, after companies and governments had ignored their pleas for years.
Water = Life, Lithium = Destruction
Mining in the Jequitinhonha Valley dries up rivers and poisons the land, violating the rights of the Pankararu and Pataxó Peoples, whose survival depends on these waters.
They stand on the frontlines!
Their territories are separated from the mine by just one river – making them the most vulnerable to contamination and displacement.
"Mineração Não! Lítio é Destruição!"
Communities are rallying with banners and chants, fighting for future generations – because "green energy" shouldn’t mean stealing Indigenous land and water.
"Green Energy" projects are failing because they violate Indigenous rights, destroy food and water security, and prioritize profit over people.
Cristal Farm is sacred ground. The community hopes to purchase this land to protect it from destructive projects.
Open Letter from the Pankararu-Pataxó Peoples:
Today, we, the Pankararu-Pataxó Peoples, have begun a peaceful occupation of Fazenda Cristal — a 560-hectare area — to prevent its sale for lithium mining.
This action is part of our decades-long struggle for territorial expansion, which includes:
- A Working Group (GT) established in 2012,
- A completed 2015 report for the creation of the Cinta Vermelha-Jundiba Indigenous Reserve,
- Approved parliamentary funding for land acquisition,
Yet, FUNAI (National Indian Foundation) lost the allocated R$1.6 million — funds that were meant to secure our land and sustain AIPPA’s (Pankararu-Pataxó Indigenous Association) sustainability projects. We demand FUNAI urgently secure updated funding to fulfill its obligation to our territorial rights.
This occupation is also a stand against lithium mining, which threatens:
- Our water sources
- Our ancestral way of life
- The ecological balance of the entire region
For over 12 years, FUNAI has stalled our land expansion process — despite our first formal land claim in 2009. We cannot wait any longer while our rights are ignored and our lands remain under threat.
We stand here in peace, but with unwavering resolve.
We fight for justice.
We fight for memory.
We fight for our future.
#LandBack #NoLithiumMining #PankararuPataxóResistance
