Tuesday, May 16, at 3 a.m., Ihjac, 22, left the village. He took the motorcycle to reach the small town of Itacaja by the track. Then, from there, he took nine hours by bus to reach Palmas, the very young capital of the state of Tocantins, 700 kilometers north of Brasilia. After obtaining a passport there, he flew to Sao Paulo, and from there to Madrid and then Lisbon. There, he wanted to discover the tower of Belem, which saw, in the XVIe century, the Portuguese set out to conquer Brazil, their native land in the Amazon. Finally, having found Hyjno, the shaman, and his wife, Cruwakwyj, he joined Cannes.
Ihjac is a Kraho. Main hero of the first feature film by Joao Salaviza and Renée Nader Messora, The song of the forestSpecial Jury Prize in 2018, at the Cannes Film Festival, we find him in Buriti’s Flower, for which he also participated in the screenplay. When he is not making films, or participating in village chores, Ihjac is studying to become a nurse. “To take care of my community. But I also want to learn more about forest medicine. »
Like Hyjno. The shaman is asked how he acquired his knowledge. Doubtful and slightly annoyed look: he hasn’t learned, it’s the spirits that guide him. “When someone is sick, I try to understand what’s inside them, then I go into the forest to look for the product that will treat them. »
On the table of the restaurant installed on a beach in Cannes, he tastes the fish fillets hidden under a coat of green mash. Grimace of approval from the one who wears his traditional feather headdress as a claim. It’s not often that the Kraho leave their territory. The village of Hyjno, Cruwakwyj and Ihjac has 650 inhabitants.
Invisible minorities and forgotten fights
The Kraho people are 4,000 people in all. Knowing that there are 300 tribes for more than 1 million Indians in total, the appointment by Lula, since his re-election, of a minister for indigenous peoples, is an event. Hyjno, Cruwakwyj and Ihjac shake their heads positively: “She is a Guajajara, but she works for all of uscontinues Hyjno. For us, it’s a bit like now having a president. »
When we know that, for the slightest decision, the village meets and discusses for days to arrive at a decision in a democratic process without hierarchy, where each voice has equal value, we measure the progress made. ” This is just the beginning. We have to believe it. Give her time to take her marks, hope that she remains in contact with the indigenous reality, that she does not forget us… And that she persuades Lula…” A film festival, Cannes has always been a sounding board for invisible minorities and their forgotten struggles.
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