Aritana Yawalapiti was a living bulwark against the destruction of Indigenous culture in Brazil. Known for his quiet dignity, he was a master of peacefully resolving conflicts between different Indigenous tribes as well as with non-Indigenous people.
He worked to defend his peoples’ land in the Amazon against prospectors, loggers and ranchers. But he was powerless against the latest invader — Covid-19.
Mr. Yawalapiti died of the disease on Aug. 5 in a hospital in Goiania, Brazil, some 400 miles southeast of his home in the Xingu Indigenous Land. He was 71. His niece Kuiaiú Yawalapiti confirmed the death.

Mr. Yawalapiti’s brother Matariwá and his niece Nhapukalo also died of Covid-19 in recent weeks, and other relatives have tested positive. According to the Brazilian Indigenous People’s Association, more than 630 Indigenous people across Brazil had died of Covid-19 and more than 22,000 had tested positive as of mid-August.
As the grandson of two chiefs and the son of a master shaman, Mr. Yawalapiti was born to lead, but he commanded respect beyond his pedigree. Powerfully built, he distinguished himself as a huka-huka wrestling champion, with a reputation for never losing a match. He spoke at least four Indigenous languages as well as Portuguese, and was considered the chief of chiefs among the tribes in the Upper Xingu.

As posted in the New York Times – Those We’ve Lost