Atodi Indigenous Village
Atodi is a riverside community located on the banks of the Arapiuns River, within the Lago Grande Agroextractive Settlement Project (PAE) in western Pará. Known for preserving traditional knowledge and promoting community-based tourism, Atodi offers visitors a range of immersive experiences: hiking through the Amazon rainforest, swimming in crystal-clear streams, canoeing through igapós, and participating in the traditional "farinhada" workshop to learn the artisanal process of cassava flour production.
The Lago Grande PAE, where Atodi is situated, is classified as an environmentally differentiated settlement. This means its territory is collectively managed by family farmers and extractive communities who depend on the forest, fishing, and low-impact agriculture. The objective is to protect biodiversity while ensuring socio-environmental sustainability and food security for its residents. In this context, Atodi plays a vital role by integrating ancestral knowledge with economic and ecological resilience, offering a powerful example of community-led stewardship of the Amazon.
The process of reclaiming indigenous identity in Atodi
The Indigenous reclaiming process reflects a powerful reaffirmation of identity and ancestral values. It highlights the importance of self-affirmation in the broader struggle for dignity, land, and better living conditions across communities. In Atodi, this journey began in 2021, sparked by a conversation held in the local church that emphasized the need to formalize the community’s place in this ongoing movement.
On May 28, 2021, the community gathered to vote on the proposal to restore Atodi’s Indigenous identity. The meeting was facilitated by women in leadership—including Neucilene Martins, president of the local association—and continued by other residents. After hours of collective debate, the proposal was approved through a democratic process, marking the official beginning of Atodi’s self-declaration as an Indigenous community.
In 2022, the first family registrations were completed, documenting those who chose to self-identify as Indigenous. This process unfolded through a series of meetings and ongoing collaboration between Atodi’s leaders and residents. The decision to self-declare represents a major milestone for the community, aligning Atodi with a wider regional movement and strengthening ties among the many Indigenous communities engaged in the same fight for recognition and rights.
Documentary produced in 2023 by participants of the reFloresta Movement. The documentary was an independent project and not associated with the Movement.
The restoration of Indigenous identity in Atodi reinforces the importance of protected conservation territories while reconnecting younger generations with the wisdom of their elders—a culture once at risk of being lost. The collective struggle for self-declaration was met with official recognition by Funai, serving as a testament to the determination of Atodi’s residents and their deep reverence for the traditions that have shaped their community over decades.
This achievement is more than a bureaucratic victory—it is an invitation to open one’s heart to the lived reality of Indigenous peoples and to recognize their central role in sustaining the Amazon rainforest, not only as guardians of biodiversity but as carriers of ancestral knowledge essential to the planet’s future.
