On Jan. 9 of this year, 13 family members of the Paresi indigenous community settled down to an evening’s fishing on a dammed-up section of the Cágado stream, on the southern fringes of the Amazon basin in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. Just before 10 p.m., two employees of the nearby Boa Sorte (“Good Luck”) ranch, one of them the ranch’s manager, appeared. Shots rang out, and most of the Indians fled. The precise circumstances of the incident are still in dispute. According to the Paresi, one of the employees shouted, “You fish thieves!” before opening fire on the unarmed family. The ranch manager claims he came under attack after approaching suspected poachers on the private reservoir, and fired in self-defense. About... [Log in to read more]