In the 1980s he joined FUNAI (Brazil’s National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples) and fought against illegal gold mining that still threatens Yanomami lands. His leadership contributed directly to the official demarcation of the Yanomami Indigenous Territory (1992) — the largest in Brazil, over 9.6 million hectares, roughly the size of Portugal — a historic milestone in the struggle for Indigenous rights.

His shamanic name, “Kopenawa” (“the hornet”), came in a dream, a symbol of vigilance and response to invasions from the non-Indigenous world. In 2004, he founded the Hutukara Yanomami Association, dedicated to his people’s health, rights, and traditional knowledge. In 2010, he co-authored with anthropologist Bruce Albert The Falling Sky, a visionary work now being adapted for film; he also appears in Terra Libre (2021) and in Amazonia, the Heart of Mother Earth, which recounts the victory of demarcation through archival footage commented on by former FUNAI president Sydney Possuelo. Recipient of the Right Livelihood Award (2019) and honored by universities and academies, he is recognized as a sage and “diplomat of the forest.” His message is clear: as long as the forest lives, humanity has a chance.