‘Civilization is the behavior we have in relation to Earth. For the white man, it is development and progress. That is an inversion of values and understanding. To me, we are the most civilized people.’
Sônia Guajajara was born among the Guajajara people in a village in the Amazonian rainforest in Maranhão. She studied at an agricultural college in Minas Gerais and continued studies in education at the Federal University of Maranhão.
She was Socialism and Liberty Party candidate for the vice-presidency of Brazil in the 2018 general elections as Guilherme Boulos’ running mate. Guajajara was one of the first two indigenous people to run for a federal executive office in Brazil, the other being Hamilton Mourão. She has organized a number of demonstrations in support of indigenous rights in Brazil and facilitated a meeting of indigenous leaders with then President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff in 2013.
Guajajara is the leader of Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil (Articulation of the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil), an organization that represents around 300 indigenous ethnic groups in Brazil.
In 2015, she was named to the Brazilian Ordem do Mérito Cultural. She was also awarded a medal by Maranhão state. (bron. Wikipedia)