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In this Sept. 3, 2019 photo, indigenous villagers listen to speakers during a meeting of Tembé tribes at the Tekohaw indigenous reserve, Para state, Brazil. Some of the men wore a type of red face paint that signified they were ready for war. Recent clashes saw the Tembe burning the trucks and equipment of illegal loggers on their territory, which is located in a Brazilian state plagued by thousands of fires burning on cleared jungle lands. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

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In this Sept. 3, 2019 photo, members of the Tembé indigenous tribe bathe at the the Gurupi river in the Tekohaw indigenous reserve, Para state, Brazil. The members of nine indigenous Tembé tribes of Brazil met to discuss a forest management plan by an association that included technology to curb loggers illegally encroaching on indigenous Tembé land in exchange for the creation of a ring to extract wood, bananas and the oily purple berry of the açaí palm tree that is a staple of native Amazon cuisine and a global superfood. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

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In this Sept. 3, 2019 photo, villagers take take a break during a meeting of Tembé tribes at the Tekohaw indigenous reserve, Para state, Brazil. Deep in the jungle, armed with spears and arrows, they hunt for birds, pigs and other animals. From the trees they take traditional medicines, as well as products they sell, such as acai, an Amazonian berry that’s a vitamin and calorie-packed breakfast staple in Brazil. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

In the Amazon, indigenous debate how to save their lands

By Associated Press AP

PUBLISHED 4:29 PM ET Sep. 06, 2019

TEKOHAW, Brazil (AP) — Warriors wielding bows and arrows, elderly chieftains in face paint and nursing mothers gathered recently in a Brazilian village to debate a plan that some hope will hold at bay the loggers and other invaders threatening the nine tribes of the Tembe.

The sustainable development plan is meant to help the Tembe profit from the Amazon forest without ruining it. They also want to keep outsiders away from their 1,080-square-mile (2,766-square-kilometer) Alto Rio Guama homeland that is officially protected but in practice under siege.

Recent clashes saw the Tembe burning the trucks and equipment of illegal loggers on their territory, which is in a Brazilian state plagued by thousands of fires burning on cleared Amazon jungle lands.