Leader of the sixteen nations, Upper Xingu Indigenous territory
Brazil
Chief Tapi Yawalapiti is the son of the great Chief Aritana Yawalapiti, who was at the origin of the unification of the sixteen peoples of the Indigenous territories of Xingu, in Brazil. His father died of Covid-19 in 2021, after having been designated by his peers as his people’s representative and messenger for peace.
A graduate in social and environmental sciences from the University of Brasilia, Chief Tapi Yawalapiti embodies the new generation of Xingu peoples who fight to preserve their ancestral culture and territories, working hand in hand with governments and donors.
In 2023, Tapi Yawalapiti was welcomed among others by the President of the German Republic, Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Bellevue Palace, and was invited to the Élysée by the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron.
In 2023, he was involved in the establishment of the new ministry of Indigenous issues in Brazil under the Lula government. Chief Tapi Yawalapiti is the President of the Aritana Institute and Honorary President of The Rainforest Organization (AFV).