Signs Don't Speak

The Waiãpi Indians reflect on how their concept of territory has changed since the arrival of gold prospectors in the 1970s. They recognize a need to demarcate their land in order to prevent destruction of the forest by outsiders. The Waiãpi use independent strategies to address the problem, building villages to warn off prospectors wherever there is gold. With the assistance of anthropologist Dominique Gallois, the Waiãpi finish official demarcation in 1996, creating a new model that allows for Indians to mark out their own territory instead of leaving the job to government contractors. This process allows Indians to know and defend their own boundaries.