O pequeno guardião do Xingú (The little guardian of the Xingú River)
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O pequeno guardião do Xingú (The little guardian of the Xingú River)

by Djacinto Monteiro dos Santos, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Jurunas' relationship with Volta Grande (Xingú River) dates back to time immemorial. Canoeists, they consider themselves "the owners of the Xingu River". The advance of invading colonizers through the Amazon, however, almost led the ethnic group to extinction. Today this territory continues to be threatened by the advancement of exploratory projects, such as the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant, which impacted the way of life of the indigenous population, due to the diversion of water, significantly reducing the flow of the river in their villages. Despite this, the Juruna people resist and the new generations continue to be "the guardians of the Xingu"