- Meeting to agree on the consultation plan: the government should meet with the
Munduruku people to reach an agreement about the consultation plan. The
consultation plan should respect this document, which states how we are organized
and how we take our decisions.
- Information meeting: the government should meet with our people, from village to
village, to inform about their plans and answer our questions. Besides us, our people’s
partners should participate in this meeting.
- Internal meetings: after this meeting, we will need time to discuss among ourselves
the governmental proposal. We will need time to explain the proposal to the relatives
who could not participate in the informative meetings. We also want to meet with the
riverside communities (for example, from Montanha e Mangabal) to discuss. We can
invite our partners to our internal meetings. However, the government cannot be
present. If more doubts or new information comes up, the government should conduct
more informative meetings, with our partners and us. Following that, we can conduct
other meetings with our partners to clarify doubts and discuss, without the
government – as many meetings as necessary for the Munduruku people to be
completely informed.
- Negotiation meeting: when we have all the sufficient information and we have
discussed it with our people, when we have an answer to give to the government, the
government should meet with our people in our territory. In this meeting, our partners
should also participate. The government should listen and answer our proposal, even
though it may differ from the governmental proposal. And we remind that we do not
accept that the government uses the rights we already hold – and that they disrespect –
to blackmail us.
How do we, the Munduruku people, take our decisions?
When a project is affecting all of us, the decision is collective. The government
cannot simply consult a part of the Munduruku people (for example, it cannot consult
only the Munduruku from the middle Tapajós [basin] or only the ones from the upper
Tapajós). The government whispers in our ears, seeking to divide our people. None of
the Munduruku associations can decide alone, none of the associations answer for our
people. Our people’s decisions are taken through a General Assembly, called by our
chiefs. The chiefs meet and define the date and place for the General Assembly and
invite the Munduruku to participate.
In the assemblies, our decisions are made after discussions: we discuss and we reach a
consensus. If it is necessary, we discuss more. We do not vote. If there is no
consensus, it is the majority who decides.
What is the Munduruku people expecting from the consultation?
We hope the government respects our decision. We have veto power. Sawe!
* The drafting of this document was assisted by the “Free, prior and informed
consultation: a right of Amazonian indigenous peoples and traditional communities”
project and by the Federal Public Ministry.