Photos: Brazil’s indigenous struggle for care amid COVID-19

Indigenous people from various ethnic groups pose for portraits wearing the traditional dress of their tribes and face masks amid the spread of the new coronavirus in Manaus, Brazil.

They left their tribal lands in the Amazon for the city, many seeking a better life. But in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic they have neither the protective isolation of their homelands, nor the government care that drew them to the city of Manaus in the first place. Pictured here: Yusuro Dupohtiro, 15, of the Dessana and Sateré Mawé indigenous ethnic groups.

Sateré Mawé indigenous children play in the Tarumã Açu River River in the Gaviao community near Manaus. More than 30,000 indigenous people live in the Brazilian state capital hardest hit by the global pandemic. Many among them are sick with fever, straining for air and dying, but just how many no one knows.

The indigenous people of Manaus live together in poor neighbourhoods where they struggle to maintain their native languages, culture and identity on the fringes of Brazilian society. Samela, 23 (pictured here), of the Sateré Mawé indigenous ethnic group, whose mother Sonia Vilacio recovered from symptoms consistent with COVID-19 using natural remedies at home, is the first member of her family to attend university, where she studies biology.

In late May, Terezinha de Souza, 45, (pictured above) of the Sateré Mawé indigenous ethnic group, fell ill with fever, body aches, and a dry cough, and when her health deteriorated she crossed the river to the indigenous wing of the Manaus hospital, inaugurated just a few days earlier, where she has first turned away but later admitted. In de Souza's opinion, hospitalisations in her community could have been avoided had a nurse or doctor visited them at earlier stages of the pandemic.

Indigenous leader Pedro dos Santos, of the Mura indigenous ethnic group. In April, dos Santos, his wife, children, and grandchildren all fell ill with COVID-19 symptoms. After days of fever, the 70-year-old chief sought treatment in a public clinic, but the nurse said he’d be better off staying at home, so he returned without ever being tested for the new coronavirus. Some of his family members are still sick and recovering at home.

Sonia Vilacio, 46, of the Sateré Mawé indigenous ethnic group. The pandemic has hit Sonia twice: when tourists disappeared from Manaus and she was left without an income from selling arts and crafts, and soon after when she fell ill with a fever, shortness of breath, and a cough, telltale signs of COVID-19.

Vanda Ortega, 33, of the Witoto indigenous ethnic group. Ortega has become one of the symbols of the indigenous fight against the pandemic after raising her voice to denounce government neglect, including the undercounting of indigenous patients who were, instead, registered as multiracial in the public health system.

In April, Brazil's minister of education said during a Cabinet meeting: "I hate the term `indigenous peoples"' because in his opinion the indigenous should just be called Brazilians. The comments were roundly denounced in Brazil and abroad by those who believed he meant to erase the identity they are trying to preserve. Above: Six-year-old Ezinaldo dos Santos, of the Sateré Mawé indigenous ethnic group, poses for a photo.

For decades, they have fought racism and discrimination with the worst health indicators in the country, including the highest infant mortality rate. The pandemic only highlights this. Pictured above: Iasmin, 8, of the Sateré Mawé indigenous ethnic group.

Indigenous leader Jose Augusto, 48, of the Miranha indigenous ethnic group, poses for a portrait, at the Park of Indigenous Nations community in Manaus

A youth from the Sateré Mawé indigenous ethnic group sits in a hammock in the Gaviao community near Manaus

Eleomar da Silva, 44, of the Sateré Mawé indigenous ethnic group

Indigenous leader Jose Augusto, 48, of the Miranha indigenous ethnic group. His mask reads in Portuguese: "Indigenous lives matter"

Six-year-old Elano de Souza, of the Sateré Mawé indigenous ethnic group