Amazon Indian Chief Defends Killing of Prospectors

An Amazonian tribal chief has defended the killing of 29 diamond prospectors on April 7 by members of his tribe on his remote Indian reservation, saying the prospectors had been repeatedly warned to stay away.

Chief Pio Cinta Larga admitted the Native Indians on the reservation 2,100 miles from Rio de Janeiro carried out the killings, but he denied ordering the attack or taking part in it.

The chief said members of his and other tribes had reached a stage where they were so angered by the trespassers’ repeated incursions that even their leaders could not control them any longer.

According to official investigations, most of the miners were lined up and killed at short range with arrows, clubs, spears and firearms. It appears that many of the prospectors were tortured and their bodies mutilated.

Chief Pio Cinta Larga said the attack was legitimate since the Indians had a right to defend their culture, and fighting and killing was a traditional means among the Amazonian tribes for resolving disputes.

Prospectors’ leaders believe it will not be long until they return, however, since it provides them with a livelihood. They warned that they would return armed in the future in order to defend themselves.

Meanwhile, a task force of hundreds of state and federal agents has been deployed in and around the reservation and is expected to remain in the region for up to six months.

Brazilian law forbids mining on Indian reservations, but several native Indian chiefs are said to have become rich charging prospectors for access to reservations which are believed to contain South America's largest diamond reserves.

Brazil's Mines and Energy Ministry estimates around $2 billion in diamonds have been mined in the area since prospecting began in 1999.