00:00 These housewives, teachers, students and artisans are voluntary firefighters in the world's
00:08 largest tropical rainforest, the Amazon.
00:13 Many of these indigenous women have families.
00:16 The idea of them leaving home regularly to tackle wildfires was difficult for their loved
00:21 ones to accept.
00:22 "My husband was against it.
00:26 He even wanted to leave me.
00:28 He said he wanted to separate from me because he couldn't accept that I'm part of this group.
00:33 He believes that women should stay at home.
00:36 I told him the days when women only stay in the kitchen and take care of the kids are
00:41 over.
00:42 Men can do that now."
00:45 The Apinaje guardians are 43 women who set up a fire brigade to fight the rise of wildfires
00:51 here.
00:52 They were trained and certified by the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable
01:07 Natural Resources.
01:08 Their work also involves controlled burns, which is dangerous and difficult work.
01:14 "It's very hot.
01:20 We wear this clothing and we get tired quickly because it's heavy."
01:28 In the Amazon, fire season starts in July.
01:32 That's when the forest is driest and blazes can spread rapidly.
01:36 The Apinaje firefighters know only too well how most of the fires start.
01:41 "There are many farms surrounding our land.
01:47 And a lot of people trespass on our land to hunt and fish.
01:53 When the farmers burn brush to create more grazing land for the cattle, they set fires
01:59 and it spreads from their farms to indigenous areas."
02:06 The Apinaje indigenous land is located in the Brazilian state of Tocantins.
02:12 The military dictatorship, which ruled the country between 1964 and 1985, created a massive
02:18 influx of people from other regions, leading to conflicts over land.
02:24 "As more white people arrived, they started buying land from the municipality.
02:35 When we realized they were taking over our territory, we asked the Foundation for Indigenous
02:41 Peoples for a survey to demarcate the boundaries.
02:46 We got a portion of the land back, but not the entire territory where our ancestors lived."
02:54 This land is sacred to the Apinajes.
02:57 The people rely on the forest for everything they need, including raw materials for crafts,
03:03 building and herbs for medicine.
03:06 The Amazon rainforest is also a habitat for many animals, and a vital source of water.
03:21 The women faced enormous difficulties and overcame many challenges to complete their
03:25 training.
03:27 The result has changed their community.
03:30 "It's something that cannot be explained.
03:36 The overwhelming emotion.
03:40 They represent the community itself, for all the effort they put in.
03:46 It's not easy for a woman to leave her home.
03:51 It's very difficult.
03:58 They are warriors.
03:59 They can do anything."
04:00 "We are still taking baby steps in this project, but we're fighting for a better future for
04:08 our children, just like our ancestors did.
04:12 They fought so that we could have this territory.
04:21 Why not take care of it today for future generations?
04:27 So that we can pass it down to them, too."
04:33 Their firefighting efforts are currently unpaid.
04:36 However, they hope that this will change in the future.
04:41 One thing is clear.
04:42 Giving up is definitely not an option.
04:46 "I will continue until the very end.
04:50 I can't let the forest be destroyed.
04:53 It's fading away and it hurts me inside.
04:56 I may not be able to do much, but thanks to the strength I get from these women, I can
05:01 make a small contribution.
05:04 We will keep going, keep fighting and putting out fires."
05:08 "I'm going to keep fighting."
05:15 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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