The Indigenous Council of Roraima (CIR), through the Legal Department, participated in the meeting to validate the translation of the Federal Constitution into the Wapichana language, held by the Court of Justice of Roraima (TJRR), this Friday, July 17, in the Canauanim indigenous community, Serra da Lua region, in the municipality of Cantá. The initiative brought together teachers fluent in the Wapichana language, indigenous leaders and project partners.
During the event, lawyer Luciane Macuxi, representative of the CIR, mediated the table and delivered the translation of Convention No. 169 of the International Labor Organization (ILO), in the Macuxi and Wapichana languages, to the representatives of the partner institutions.
"We, as an institution, recognize and value this initiative of the Court of Justice to translate the Constitution into the Macuxi and Wapichana languages. The CIR has already translated ILO Convention No. 169 into these languages, together with the teachers of Serra da Lua. This reaffirms our commitment to the protection of indigenous languages and the realization of our rights", highlights the lawyer.
In September 2025, the CIR's Legal Department began the process of translating ILO Convention No. 169, which deals with the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples, into the mother tongues Macuxi and Wapichana. The document was launched during the 55th General Assembly of Indigenous Peoples of Roraima, making the CIR a pioneer in the North region in translating the document.
In another step towards the self-determination and autonomy of indigenous peoples, the CIR supports the project to translate the Federal Constitution into the Wapichana and Macuxi indigenous languages. The activity will be conducted by the TJRR. The initiative was presented on May 28, 2025 to the leaders of the Serras region, during a meeting held in the Maturuca indigenous community, in the Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous Land.
"After validation, we will edit the copies, make them available electronically and disseminate this material in the communities. We want to visit all the Wapichana and Macuxi communities to publicize this project and explain how it was built, so that people have access to the content", explained the vice-president of the TJRR, Judge Almiro Padilha, author of the project.
The judge also reinforced the relevance of the participation of indigenous teachers fluent in the Macuxi and Wapichana languages in the translation review process. According to him, this involvement guarantees legitimacy to the project.
The CIR reinforces its commitment to valuing indigenous languages and expanding the access of native peoples to constitutional rights, through the translation of legal documents into their mother tongues.