We are treading heavily on the Earth': Ailton Krenak on consumerism, shock tactics and how to sleep in a hammock

"After 21 years of military dictatorship in Brazil, it was a pivotal moment. Wearing a suit and tie, Ailton Krenak, then an Indigenous leader in his 30s, stepped on to the rostrum in congress. It was 1987, a new constitution was being drafted for the re-established democracy and Indigenous people were finally being heard in Brasilia. I hope that my statement does not violate the protocol of this house, he began, firmly but politely."

"As he spoke, he smeared his face with jenipapo, a fruit used for Indigenous bodypainting, until it was covered in black. Indigenous blood has been spilt over every hectare of Brazil's 8m square kilometres, he told the constituent assembly. You are witnesses of this. Speaking to the Brazilian congress in 1987, Krenak smeared his face with jenipapo, a fruit used for Indigenous bodypainting, until it was covered in black."

"Krenak’s gesture helped enshrine Indigenous land and identity rights in the 1988 constitution. There, the young Ailton understood the meaning of parliament, he reminisces. The place to speak, the power of the word. Only those with a mandate speak on a pulpit. In 2024, Krenak was back on a pulpit, again propelled by the power words this time as a writer."

"He became the first Indigenous Brazilian to hold a seat in the Brazilian Academy of Letters, established in the late 19th century and, until recently, composed mostly of white men. If I can imagine a utopia, it is for humans to recover the experience of a simple life. Now aged 72, Krenak is a prominent writer, philosopher, environmentalist and Indigenous leader an indispensable voice in Brazil and beyond, whose books have been published in more than 13 languages."

Ailton Krenak, an Indigenous leader, addressed Brazil’s constituent assembly in 1987 during the drafting of a new constitution after military dictatorship. He wore a suit and tie and began by asking that his statement not violate parliamentary protocol. He smeared his face with jenipapo until it was covered in black, then warned that Indigenous blood had been spilled across Brazil’s land. His gesture helped enshrine Indigenous land and identity rights in the 1988 constitution. In 2024 he returned to a pulpit as a writer and became the first Indigenous Brazilian to hold a seat in the Brazilian Academy of Letters. His work and lectures emphasize environmental urgency, the limits of current paths, and making the Anthropocene understandable.

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