The Xavante, like other indigenous tribes, were treated badly by the white men beginning in the 1960s, the Xavante were moved from their homeland in Mato Grosso to a southern, malnourished area of Brazil. There, thousands of Indians died due to disease, famine and warfare. Within the last decade, the Xavante have been relocated back to their original lands. Unfortunately, due to land grabbing and squatters, the land was destroyed. Lush forest was burned to create sparse wasteland and pasture. Waves of deforestation have converted the once-fertile homeland into a vast network of cattle ranches, and sugar cane plantations for Brazil’s biofuels market. The destruction of the forest has meant that hunting and fishing are no longer possible, and there is barely enough land even to plant crops. Malnutrition is a serious problem.
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