Now Kopenawa has become the first Indigenous leader elected to the century-old Brazilian Academy of Sciences. We would like to congratulate the academy, which had the courage to elect a member of the original peoples of Brazil, Paloschi, who is president of the Brazilian bishops Indigenous Missionary Council, told EarthBeat. It s good that the academy has recognized the ancestral wisdom of indigenous peoples, especially at this time, when humanity is experiencing a socio-environmental crisis that is unprecedented in history, the planet is sick, and Indigenous peoples are the teachers who teach us to have a harmonious and respectful relationship with all of creation, he said.