Indigenous chief found dead was leader of village occupying Vale land
Indigenous chief Merong Kamakã Mongoió, who was found dead in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, on Monday morning (Mar. 4), was the leader of the indigenous people who had been living on land owned by mining company Vale for over two years. Previously, they were scattered in urban areas of surrounding towns. The group settled in October 2021 as part of a movement to retake the village.The Kamakã Mongoiós are a family of the Pataxó-hã-hã-hãe people, whose mother village is located on the southern coast of Bahia state, at the foot of the Pascoal mount. A video posted on social media by the National Indigenous Union (UNI) in March 2022 shows the progress of their work in Brumadinho. In the video, Merong explains that the retaking efforts had brought Kamakã Mongoiós from Bahia over the course of mor...