Virus Kills Leading Brazil Indigenous Chief Aritana
One of Brazil's leading indigenous chiefs, Aritana Yawalapiti, died Wednesday of respiratory complications caused by COVID-19, his family said.
Aritana, 71, a chief of the Yawalapiti people in the Amazon, was known for fighting to protect the world's biggest rainforest and the rights of the indigenous peoples who live there.
"He was a great advocate in the struggle to preserve and perpetuate his people's culture for future generations and a tireless activist against the effects of deforestation," his family said in a statement.
Aritana was diagnosed with the new coronavirus about two weeks ago, after having trouble breathing in his village in the Xingu indigenous reserve.
![Indigenous chief Aritana, pictured in 2003 with Queen Sofia of Spain, was known for fighting to protect the Amazon rainforest](https://d.ibtimes.com/en/full/3023153/indigenous-chief-aritana-pictured-2003-queen-sofia-spain-was-known-fighting-protect-amazon.jpg?w=736&f=f46a266b8063e766f4d5e811cf1ac7fb)
He died in an intensive care unit at a hospital in the city of Goiania.
He had been raising funds to help indigenous communities deal with the pandemic when he got sick.
COVID-19 has hit especially hard among the region's indigenous groups, who have a history of vulnerability to outside diseases.
In Brazil, more than 22,000 indigenous people have been infected and 633 have died, according to the Brazilian Indigenous Peoples' Association.
© Copyright AFP 2024. All rights reserved.