Marco temporal nas fronteiras do Cerrado : o projeto político do agronegócio e as violências contra os povos indígenas na região do Matopiba (2010-2022)

Abstract

The Timeframe thesis that determines that Indigenous peoples can only claim land they were already occupying before the promulgation of Brazil’s 1988 Constitution or land that was at least being disputed by Indigenous peoples at that time is deeply rooted in the history of land occupation in Brazil, marked by the expropriation of indigenous lands since the colonial period. The political and legislative actions of agribusiness, led by the rural caucus, are directly linked to this context and reflect tensions between agribusiness interests, Indigenous rights, and ecosystem balance. By disregarding the historical context of violence and expulsion faced by Indigenous peoples, this thesis, transformed into Law 14.701/2023, threatens to reverse the achievements of the 1988 Constitution in terms of Indigenous territorial rights. The Cerrado is the second-largest biome in South America, with a history of land occupation intensely marked by the expansion of Brazil’s agricultural frontier since the 1970s, internationally overshadowed by the Amazon Biome. The Matopiba region emerges as the focal area for this study because it represents Brazil’s most recent agricultural frontier, intensely exploited by agribusiness, is composed of 91% of the Cerrado biome, and mostly includes Indigenous lands that have yet to begin the demarcation process. The main objective was to analyze the situation of Indigenous peoples in the Cerrado, particularly in the Matopiba region, in light of land disputes and rights violations related to the Timeframe thesis. Specific objectives included examining how the Timeframe thesis relates to the concepts of land and territoriality; describing and analyzing the evolution of the timeframe concept until its enactment as law and agribusiness political agenda; and evaluating the processes of violence against Indigenous peoples in the Cerrado in the Matopiba region from 2010 to 2022. This work was conducted with a mixed approach, emphasizing a qualitative perspective through the analysis of historical facts and the evolution of land conflicts over 12 years. The research was descriptive and explanatory, utilizing a historical-documentary, inductive approach, with comparative analysis based on bibliographic and documentary research, using trend graphs to support the qualitative findings from the bibliographic and documentary reviews. As a result, we conclude that the Timeframe thesis disregards land as a space for both material and immaterial existence, perpetuates Brazil’s socially unjust land occupation history, and highlights the state's complacency. Agribusiness's political and legislative actions are directly tied to this context, reflecting tensions between agribusiness interests and Indigenous rights, resulting in increased violence against Indigenous peoples and posing a threat to ecosystem balance.