Indigenous Women March for Territories and Life

In August 2025, more than five thousand Indigenous women occupied Brasília, Brazil’s capital city, to advocate for their rights at the 4th Indigenous Women’s March. The mobilization culminated in the development of proposals for a National Policy Plan for Indigenous Women. 

From August 3 to 7, 2025, the event assembled thousands of women from Brazil’s six biomes to occupy the federal capital with ancestral songs, dances, and prayers that mark their historic struggle. Under the theme “Our Body, Our Territory: We Are the Guardians of the Planet for the Healing of the Earth,” the March was preceded by the first National Conference of Indigenous Women — an unprecedented moment of political coordination, debate, and development of proposals in defense of life and territories. 

“The March is a powerful expression that brings national and international visibility to the daily struggle of Indigenous women in their territories. It calls upon ancestry to transform realities, confronting the multiple forms of violence that the women face with policies aimed at protecting their bodies — both individually and collectively,” said Lirian Ribeiro, an ACT-Brasil Field Analyst focused on Indigenous medicines and women. 

From Territory to Mobilization

ACT-Brasil supported the participation of women from the Kokama, Tikuna, Caixana, and Kambeba peoples of Alto Solimões, a region in the southwest of the Brazilian Amazon in the state of Amazonas. For many of them, it was their first time outside their territories.

“Being here is an honor. I came from the interior of Amazonas, and experienced very important moments. It was moving to participate in the March for the first time, to see our voices being heard and our proposals approved. May this struggle continue — for us and for the next generations,” said Evanilde Tananta of the Kambeba people.

ACT-Brasil’s presence in the mobilization and debates also strengthened bonds with leaders from Alto Solimões, a region marked by major challenges in access and visibility. For Marilane Irmão, an Indigenous woman of the Kokama people and ACT-Brasil’s Institutional Relations and Fundraising Analyst, ACT’s participation was a significant milestone:

“We saw the strengthening of our presence and institutional trust in Alto Solimões, a region historically rendered invisible to support and coordination efforts. It was powerful to see women becoming empowered and understanding the importance of political coordination,” she said.

These women are affiliated with organizations within the network of the Union of Indigenous Women of the Brazilian Amazon (UMIAB) — a partner organization of ACT-Brasil in strengthening the political engagement of Indigenous women and the defense of their territories. Through joint actions such as training, advocacy, and leadership support, ACT-Brasil and UMIAB have helped expand women’s participation in decision-making spaces and in building strategies to confront climate emergencies and rights violations.

Proposals for the National Plan

The women from Alto Solimões joined the political debates organized by the National Conference of Indigenous Women, organized into five thematic areas:

1. Land rights and territorial management 

2. Climate emergency 

3. Public policies and combating gender-based violence 

4. Health 

5. Education and transmission of ancestral knowledge  

The participants in each thematic area developed proposals to guide the creation of a National Policy Plan for Indigenous Women. On August 6, in a plenary session, participants finalized the contents of the document, voting on 49 priority concepts.

Under Land rights and territorial management, proposals included strengthening women’s participation in managing territories, including the creation of Territorial and Environmental Management Plans (PGTAs) and consultation protocols, and promoting the demarcation of Indigenous Lands. Participants also opposed legislative measures such as the Marco Temporal and an extraction licensing law caricatured as the “Law of Devastation” by environmentalists, seen as direct threats to Indigenous women’s territories.

Under Public policies and combating gender-based violence, participants stressed the urgent need for specific mechanisms to protect Indigenous women, with respect for their languages, cultures, and territorial realities. Proposals included creating Indigenous women’s meeting houses, implementing differentiated healthcare protocols, and ensuring these measures are included in public budgets. The women also called for active participation in the design and oversight of these policies.

Under Health, the focus was on an integrated healthcare system that respects traditional knowledge and Indigenous women’s healing practices. The participants called for improved access to healthcare services, strengthening Indigenous healthcare through female leadership, and increasing the perception of the value of midwives and traditional healers. Proposals also included training Indigenous health professionals and creating specific policies for Indigenous mental, sexual, and reproductive health.

Under Education and transmission of ancestral knowledge, participants emphasized respect for the value of Indigenous languages, cultures, and knowledge in education. They called for intercultural, bilingual education, the training and recognition of Indigenous women teachers, and the strengthening of community learning spaces where traditional knowledge is passed down between generations. Education was affirmed as a tool for sustaining Indigenous ways of life.

Under Climate emergency, participants highlighted the direct impact of climate change on Indigenous communities. One key point was increasing investment in protecting traditional ways of life and cultivation methods — such as seed planting, sustainable management, and ecological restoration — as effective solutions to mitigate the climate crisis.

A Rehearsal for COP30

Building on the climate emergency discussions, the National Conference of Indigenous Women and the March became key forums in preparing Indigenous women’s agendas for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), which will take place from November 10–21 in the Brazilian city of Belém. One point of emphasis was the urgency of pushing for global policies that recognize and protect Indigenous women and their territories.

Discussions reinforced that effectively addressing the climate crisis requires ensuring the demarcation of Indigenous Lands and allocating public resources for their permanent protection, including strengthening monitoring in critical areas affected by deforestation and illegal activities. Without continuous investment and structural policies, neither ecosystems nor the ways of life of the peoples who have protected them for centuries can be safeguarded.

“The March expanded the leadership of Indigenous women in preparations for COP30. They leave here more empowered in their alliances and in sync to advocate politically. This is essential for the international community to understand that without Indigenous peoples — and especially without Indigenous women — climate justice becomes an illusion,” concluded Lirian Ribeiro.

An Ancestral Sea in Brasília

On the last day of the March, August 7, more than five thousand women walked to the Brazilian National Congress. They covered about two kilometers with songs, dances, and expressions of Indigenous diversity. 

The March denounced the daily violence suffered by Indigenous women, demanded public policies, and reaffirmed women’s leadership in building a just society. Shouts against the Marco Temporal and National Bill 2.159/2021 (the aforementioned “Law of Devastation”) — resounded. The call for land demarcation also took center stage, representing the central struggle of Brazil’s Indigenous peoples. Speeches stressed the urgency of overturning legislative setbacks.

The March — accompanied by the National Conference of Indigenous Women — was a powerful expression of the importance of Indigenous women, as well as a key movement for influencing public authorities in defense of the rights of women.

Read the event’s closing letter in Portuguese.

The mobilization of Indigenous women points toward a future of protected territories and respected lives.

The March was organized by the National Coordination of Indigenous Women Warriors of Ancestry (ANMIGA), with support from the Coordination of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB), several other Indigenous networks, civil society organizations, and the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples (MPI).

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