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By Edson Krenak (Krenak, CS Staff)

In 2022, a Brazilian Indigenous activist joined the list of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world when she received an award in the Pioneers category. Her name is Sonia Bone de Souza Silva Santos (Guajajara), also known as Sonia Guajajara. Guajajara was born March 6, 1974, in the Arariboia Indigenous land Maranhão in northeastern Brazil. She is the mother of three children: Yaponã, 22, Mahkai, 20, and Ywara, 16.

November 25 is the International Day to Eliminate Violence against Women. Violence in all of its forms, whether physical, psychological, sexual, or economic, against women and girls, are violations of human rights. Indigenous women are particularly vulnerable for two factors: ethnicity and gender. In response, more and more Indigenous women are organizing around the world to fight against violence.

Jônatas Robson Simões Moreira (Terena), 26, is from Aldeia Lagoinha, Aquidauana, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. He is a public school teacher with a degree in performing arts and dance from the State University of Mato Grosso do Sul, and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in dance and education. He is an artist, a choreographer, and an activist for Indigenous causes. Nati Garcia (Maya Mam), Cultural Survival Capacity Building Manager, recently spoke with Robson. 
 

Nati Garcia: How do you identify in Brazilian and Indigenous language contexts?

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