Purdue University

Purdue University is a world-renowned, public research university in the United States that advances discoveries in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The Sigrid Rausing Trust grant will be used to support the launch of a network of indigenous youth and non-indigenous activist scholars. Their work will focus on Kayapó assemblies in order to inform them of the social, cultural, ecological and health impacts of illegal artisanal-scale gold mining, which is one of the most difficult to detect but persistent threats to indigenous rights and livelihoods in the Pará state in Brazil. They will direct two three-day Kayapó assemblies and training sessions that will address the misinformation Kayapó communities receive from miners with the aim of reducing the spread of mining activities.