Water and Protest: Indigenous Mobilization in Brazil

After thirty-three days of protest sparked by indigenous mobilization in northern Brazil, a decree signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was revoked on February 23. The decree and the subsequent protest are reminiscent of broader indigenous movements across Latin America which advocate against governmental actions that threaten the environment, particularly regarding water access and privatization.

In late January, hundreds of indigenous people began protesting at a Cargill facility in Santarém, Brazil, over Lula da Silva’s decree. The facility, which includes a river port terminal, is owned by one of the largest agricultural commodity traders—representative of an agribusiness sector increasingly devastating the environment. Operations at the port were suspended after protestors forced Cargill employees to evacuate on Friday, February 19. The protest soon expanded to São Paulo, where a rally was held to protest the decree. 

The demands of the Tapajó and Arapiun Indigenous peoples, who live along the waterways affected by the decree, were simple. They wanted the government to revoke a decree that would allow private operators to manage waterways, including dredging and controlling vessel traffic.  The dredging is tied to other infrastructure projects in the Amazon, such as a proposed railway intended to facilitate the export of soy and corn. These projects threaten to accelerate deforestation and exacerbate land grabbing on indigenous territories.

Protestors wrote to the Brazilian government, stating that “Rivers are not export channels: they are a source of life, sustenance, memory, and identity for thousands of families.” Water is essential to indigenous culture and subsistence, and activities like dredging would degrade water quality and disrupt fishing, a critical food source. The Tapajós and Arapiuns Indigenous Council also emphasized that the government violated environmental and indigenous laws by failing to consult the affected communities. 

Protesting water as a right, something governments and private companies often seek to exploit, is not new, nor is it unique to Brazil. Indigenous leaders argued that privatization violated promises made at COP30, which emphasized a greater role for indigenous voices in environmental governance.

In November 2025, thousands of indigenous people, mainly the Munduruku, protested outside COP30, demanding the protection of their lands to preserve biodiversity and combat climate change. Many of these protests centered on water, opposing decrees that would open waterways to dredging and threaten their way of life. 

The view of water as sacred and central to indigenous identity has inspired similar protests throughout the region. In 2000, the Cochambaba Water War erupted in Bolivia over the privatization of water, leading to violence. More recently, indigenous communities in Ecuador and Guatemala have mobilized against water privatization and hydroelectric projects. 

More than two decades after the Cochambaba Water War, governments continue to push for privatization of natural resources, often aligning with private corporations, treating the Amazon, Andes, and other territories as a business opportunity rather than an ecosystem stewarded by indigenous peoples.

Yet, just as the Q’eqchi’, Achí and Pomcomchi’ Mayas in Guatemala, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, and the Quechua and Aymara in Bolivia have done, indigenous movements in Brazil continue to gain traction. Their goal remains clear: protect the water, and in doing so, protect the Earth.