Corinthians marks Indigenous Peoples' Day at Neo Química Arena | OneFootball

Corinthians used the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, celebrated on August 9, to hold a special program focused on valuing Indigenous cultures. The activities took place last Sunday, with Neo Química Arena as the main venue, reinforcing messages of respect, inclusion, and recognition of different cultural identities.

Corinthians TV showed part of the initiative in a video released last Tuesday. One of the highlights was the presence of members of Aldeia Tekoa Itaendy, a community formed by the Guarani Mbya people and located in the Jaraguá Indigenous Territory, in the northwest region of the city of São Paulo.

Photo: Reproduction/Corinthians

During the visit, the village representatives got to know different areas of the Casa do Povo and had the opportunity to walk through spaces normally restricted to athletes, such as the area near the pitch and the dugouts. The gathering was marked by moments of fellowship and celebration.

Among those present was José Sátiro do Nascimento, known as Índio, a former full-back who was part of one of the most important periods in Corinthians’ recent history. The former player also took the opportunity to mark the occasion alongside members of the Indigenous community.

For Roberto Veríssimo Lima, a village leader, the visit meant far more than a simple tribute. In his view, the meeting represented a concrete demonstration of welcome and visibility for the Indigenous community inside one of the main stadiums in Brazilian football.

“Corinthians welcomes everyone. It’s an enormous joy—there are no words to define what we are experiencing. This moment is something historic for all of us”, he said.

Índio also took part in the program. Brazilian champion in 1998 and 1999 and a member of the squad that won the 2000 Club World Cup, the former full-back emphasized the importance of seeing his journey recognized together with his roots.

For him, the tribute symbolized a connection between his personal story, his Indigenous origin, and the relationship built over the years with the Corinthians supporters.

“I’m proud to be a Brazilian champion in 98 and 99, a world champion, and to have this recognition from the Fiel Torcida. It’s an immense pride—you can’t imagine the emotion I carry in my chest. To come from where I came from, as an Indigenous man, and conquer Brazil and the world is a source of great pride for me”, he said.

The program also aimed to bring Corinthians’ history closer to its tradition of diversity and representation. The initiative brought back elements linked to the club’s formation and connected them to the social actions currently developed by the department responsible for this area.

According to Sonia Andrade, Corinthians’ Social Responsibility manager, the presence of the Guarani Mbya community served to reinforce the importance of keeping the traditions and memory of Indigenous peoples alive.

“Today we are here with the urban village from Pico do Jaraguá, and this action is essential to preserve Indigenous memory and customs. More than that, we need to know and value this rich and ancient culture. Today we celebrate this legacy, which is a direct part of Corinthians’ identity, since one of our club’s founders (Joaquim Ambrósio) was of Indigenous origin”, she said.

Later, the tribute had another moment inside Neo Química Arena. Before the match between Corinthians and Cruzeiro, valid for the 23rd round of the Brazilian Championship, the club’s Cultural Department carried out a special ceremony in the dugout area.

Although Timão was defeated 2-1 by the team from Minas Gerais, Índio received a personalized shirt and a silver plaque in recognition of his career and the contribution he made to Corinthians.

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was established by the United Nations in 1994. The date was chosen in reference to the first meeting of the UN Working Group focused on Indigenous populations, held in 1982.

Data from the 2022 Census, prepared by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), indicate that Brazil has approximately 1.7 million Indigenous people, a number equivalent to 0.83% of the country’s population.

The survey also identified 391 different ethnic groups and 295 Indigenous languages still spoken in the country. Before the arrival of Europeans, estimates indicate that the area now corresponding to Brazil was inhabited by more than a thousand Indigenous peoples, totaling between two million and four million people.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.