Hospitalized for two days, the cacique Raoni Metuktire, spokesperson for the indigenous cause in Brazil over 90 years old, has been transferred “With a certain urgency” from the small hospital in the town of Colider, where he had been admitted on Thursday, to a more modern establishment in that of Sinop (also in the center-west), due to“A worsening of his condition”, announced the first establishment, Saturday July 18.
“He presented today (…) increased anemia and deterioration of kidney function (…) probably due to digestive bleeding ”, reported in a bulletin the Santa Inês hospital in the small town of Colider.
This Mato Grosso state hospital “Not having an intensive care unit, he was transferred with some urgency to another establishment” from the same state “In case his clinical condition worsens”. This one, the Dois Pinheiros hospital, announced in the evening that the chef at the world famous labial plateau presented “Signs of improvement”, especially an increase in blood pressure after first aid.
Many symptoms for two weeks
The leader of the Kayapo people could suffer from a gastric ulcer, a track which would explain the bleeding of which he complained and which will be explored with examinations, including an endoscopy, from Sunday, said the hospital, where he should stay “At least three days”. “Raoni suffers from a digestive hemorrhage and only a more precise diagnosis will tell us where the bleeding comes from”, had explained doctor Eduardo Massahiro Ono, daily Folha.
The NGO Planète Amazon had previously announced the hospitalization of the old native chief in Colider due to a general state of weakness. The cacique “Began to be ill two weeks ago, with fever, diarrhea and vomiting” and he was dehydrated, said Gert-Peter Bruch, the president of the French NGO which organized fundraisers for the cacique’s Kayapo people.
While many natives have been infected by the Covid-19 sweeping through Brazil, “We thought of the coronavirus”, he added, but “He did a negative Covid test”.
The establishment added that the cacique was in a depressed state since the death of his wife Bekwyjka on June 23, of a cerebrovascular accident. Bekwyjka was his partner and advisor for more than sixty years. Other sources, such as the Raoni Foundation or Gert-Peter Bruch, confirmed that the cacique had been extremely affected by the disappearance of his wife.
The cacique Paulinho Paiakan carried away by the coronavirus
The old chief, known worldwide for his tireless fight for the defense of indigenous rights and lands, had been evacuated by plane from his village of Metuktire to Colider on Thursday.
As Brazil nears 80,000 deaths from Covid-19, indigenous populations have been hit hard due, among other things, to weaker immunity: more than 16,000 indigenous people have been infected and 535 have died, according to data from the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil. The coronavirus notably took away in June a well-known cacique and defender of the Amazon rainforest, Paulinho Paiakan, aged around 67 years.
In a recent interview with Agence France-Presse, Raoni accused Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro of wanting “Take advantage of this disease” to eliminate his people. Since the far-right leader came to power in January 2019, the old Kayapo leader has not mince words against the president, whose departure he demanded, who has made contemptuous remarks towards the natives.
