WHY STUDENTS MIGHT WISH TO ADVOCATE FOR THE YANOMAMI?
(1) The Yanomami are suffering from a number of serious ills involving life-threatening illnesses as well as the illegal invasion of their territory by gold miners. The Hutukara – Associação Yanomami (the Yanomami organization, or NGO, the Yanomami have created to represent their interests) is not asking the Community Action Website’s help in addressing these problems since these are not problems the Community Action Project can really help with. The Hutukara – Associação Yanomami is asking the help of Canadian and American college students to assist with the one thing they can do – facilitating the return of their deceased relatives’ blood so it can be ritually destroyed allowing their deceased relatives to depart this earth in peace. (2) Introductory anthropology students have already played an instrumental role in getting Pennsylvania State University to agree to return the blood. The Brazilian Attorney Generals in Roraima, who legally represent the Yanomami, were repeatedly ignored
