Interview with Megaron Txucarramãe, conducted at the Hemispheric Institute's 5th Encuentro titled Performing Heritage: Contemporary Indigenous and Community-Based Practices which took place in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 2005. In this interview he talks about Kaiapó cultural practices and traditions, as well as their current situation in contemporary Brazilian geopolitics. He also comments on his people's participation in the Encuentro, where Megaron also delivered a keynote address titled The Indigenous Question in Brazil.

Biography

Megaron Txucarramãe, (leader of the Mebêngôkre/Kaiapó) is one of the most important native leaders in Brazil, with outstanding performance on behalf of his people, Mekragnotire, and of other Brazilian native people. Working at Funai, he acted in Contact Fronts of the Ikpeng and Panará People. In 1984 he took part in the setting of the land boundaries of the Native Land Kapôt - Jarina and, in 1992/1993, of the Native Land Mekragnotire. He was a FUNAI supervisor of the Parque Indígena do Xingu (Xingu Indians Park) from 1984 to 1994 and was the director of Funai - Colíder/MT from 1995-2011. He is also a founder member of the Associação Ipren-re de Defesa do Povo Mebêngôkre (Ipren-re Association for the Mebêngôkre People) since 1993.