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The Galibi of the Oiapoque come from villages
of the Mana River, in French Guiana, Couachi and Grand
Village. Their leader, Mr. Geraldo Lod, was born in
Pointe Isère. In 1948, Mr. Lod and his cousin
succeeded in getting to Belém, where the administrator
of the SPI (Serviço de Proteção
aos Índios, Indian Protection Service), Eurico
Fernandes, gave them authorization and the legal documents
so that they could migrate to Brazil with their kingroup.
The reason for their migrating wasn’t war,
nor hunger, nor pressure from the Whites, but rather
a serious and mysterious misunderstanding between affinal
kin. On arriving in Brazil, in three sailing canoes,
the group consisted of 38 people. Later, several families
returned to Mana. Today, with more and more young people
leaving the village, the tendency is for population
decrease unless non-Galibi individuals or families come
to settle in the village. After the death of its eldest
members, the group maintained few contacts with the
Galibi of French Guiana. Nevertheless, they like to
get news from there, especially from kin and friends,
often transmitted by a radio program in Caienne.
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The village of São José dos Galibi
is also the headquarters of the Galibi Indian Post. Geraldo
Lod maintains an attitude of autonomy, but a good relationship,
with Funai. He chooses and evaluates the employees of
the village who, today, are only the head of the post
and the teacher, married to a Galibi woman. Mr. Lod, his
children and other inhabitants of the village regularly
participate in all the Assemblies of Indigenous Peoples
of the Uaçá and collective movements to
demand their rights, as do other representatives of their
and other indigenous peoples who share the same territory,
have the same problems and anxieties. It is on these occasions
that each group defines its position. They seek to form
a consensus and establish a political, economic, and social
program that will benefit all. They also participate,
along with the Karipuna, Galibi-Marworno and Palikur,
in political movements in defense of their rights that
are important to them.
While everyone in the village has a good level
of education, Mr. Lod stands out for his intellectual
capacity and curiosity and discipline in reasoning.
His knowledge of the fauna and flora of the Guianas
region are surprising. He completed the Certificat d'Études,
which corresponds to our primary school education, and
for ten years he was a trained nurse in the penitentiary
hospital of Saint Laurent, working in indigenous villages
of Mana.
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His youngest son was president of the APIO (Associação
dos Povos Indígenas do Oiapoque, Association of
the Indigenous Peoples of the Oiapoque). His two eldest
sons are with the military, with very successful careers
in the Navy and the Air Force. His four daughters have
lived for several years with families of officials from
Clevelândia, travelling with them to Belém,
Brasília and São Paulo, studying and working,
before going back to the Oiapoque. Today, they live in
Oiapoque, where they work as employees of the State, and
spend their weekends and holidays in the village.
Actually, unlike in the past, the Galibi have
little contact with the military of Clevelândia
or with people from Saint Georges or Tampac.
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