ABSTRACT

In this chapter, the author explores the ways in which the moments of contestation surrounding the Belo Monte and Sao Luiz do Tapajos projects continue to illuminate the links between hydropower projects in the Brazilian Amazon and processes of encroachment on their territories and cultures. The map that came out of the Munduruku process of counter-mapping, labelled the ‘Map of Life’ and disseminated by Greenpeace Brasil, included key sites of spiritual significance, hunting and fishing grounds, and settlements. It highlights key species and their presence along the river, and it illustrates key points of encroachment, such as the BR 836 highway skirting around the edges of the territory. The author argues that, when discussing the Belo Monte and Sao Luiz do Tapajos projects, many of those opposed to hydroelectric projects in the Brazilian Amazon foregrounded the contemporary resistance to the respective projects within a wider context of encroachment on indigenous territory, rights, and livelihoods.