“We’re going to keep fighting and you are all welcome to join us”: When Brazil floods, Indigenous Peoples fight to save way of life

Luana Kaingang lives in the village of Tupé Pã, near the City of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. She is part of the Indigenous Kaingang people and studies dentistry. 

This year her community was among those hit by the devastating floods in southern Brazil. 

At least 181 people died across the state. Over half a million people were displaced, and one estimate puts the cost of rebuilding at over $21 billion.  

Scientists say the flood was made twice as likely by climate change. 

The Kaingang’s cosmology and way of life connects them intimately with nature. 

“The perception that the climate is changing is not new, and the elders will tell you that, because when they were young there wasn’t this imbalance that we see today,” says Luana. “The weather was more predictable.” 

These changes range from extreme heat driving wildfires to heavy rains causing landslides and floods. 

Last year was the hottest year on Earth in the last 125,000 years and the hottest recorded in Brazil. 

“I was home when the waters started to rise. The first thing we understood was that we had to take action,” Luana says.  

Different Indigenous communities sheltered and helped each other, joining forces to collect donations and to mobilise partners to assist with the tasks. They have created a centralised campaign of Indigenous organisations and partners.  

“I had the job of collecting food and warm clothes and distributing them in these communities. Drinking water was particularly scarce, so when we had some, we carried it to the villages that needed it most.” 

Communities were also cut off from healthcare and income. Climate change is affecting their ability to find plants they work with.  

“Even for our crafts, we can no longer find the lianas we weave our handmade goods with. So many struggled to provide for their families.” 

Luana wants people to know how Indigenous communities are affected: “There wasn’t really much media coverage of what was happening. Indigenous peoples from southern Brazil have very little visibility these days.” 

She adds: “We often feel like we’re overlooked by the state. It took about two months, I think. It was actually at the end of the floods that they finally got here with some aid.” 

Luana is clear on what needs to change: “Capitalism has been poisoning society and it will eventually wipe us all out.” 

She would like to see companies who have profited from climate change pay to remedy damages and  “to stop destroying things, because it’s not just us that they’re destroying. They are destroying themselves too.” 

She says the UN’s loss and damage fund should be managed by people who are directly affected by climate change, such as organisations led by Indigenous communities, because they know what they need better than anyone else.  

Some communities are still displaced, struggling to make ends meet and dealing with the emotional fallout of the floods.  

“Our connection with the land goes far beyond a physical connection. It is also a spiritual one. Non-Indigenous society is struggling too. Today, everyone is afraid whenever it rains. Whenever clouds get dark, people feel uneasy, afraid.” 

The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication found that almost nine out of 10 Brazilians say they are worried about climate change. 

But Luana has hope for the future. Next year it is Brazil’s turn to host COP30 in the city of Belém on the Amazon River.  

“This feeling of collectivity, that we can count on each other, has remained strong. This makes us feel that there is still hope for us, that things can change, that people can change.  

“So we can continue fighting and demanding the demarcation of Indigenous lands. 

“Not just here, we have to get together and fight to prevent these disasters from happening again and to preserve whatever is left.” 

She adds: “They should know that most of our strength comes from love, from hope, and that together we can fight for Mother Earth.” 

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