The Jequitinhonha Valley has its origins in the source of the Jequitinhonha River, in Minas Gerais, and extends until it flows into the Atlantic Ocean, in the extreme south of Bahia. Over the centuries, the river has received several names, such as Rio Encantado, Patixa, Yiki-Tinhonhe, Giquiteon and Jequié-Tinhong, until it was consolidated as Jequitinhonha. The name has indigenous origins, being a combination of “jequi” (trap) and “onha” (fish), meaning “trap with many fish”. This name highlights the deep relationship between indigenous peoples and the river, which was a source of food, life and transportation.

The history of the region was marked by colonial invasions and the intense exploitation of natural resources, which resulted in the enslavement, expulsion and extermination of indigenous peoples over the centuries. In addition, thousands of enslaved Africans were brought to work in mining and livestock farming. As a form of resistance, they formed quilombos, many of which exist and resist to this day, together with the indigenous peoples of the region (Pankararu, Pataxó and Aranã).

Over the centuries of exploration, the Jequitinhonha Valley suffered serious processes of environmental degradation, being unfairly labeled as the “Valley of Misery” – a stigma that ignores its cultural, environmental and social richness.

Today, the region faces a new wave of exploration with the rush for lithium that exists underground. Promising “salvation” from “underdevelopment” and climate change, lithium exploration in the Valley threatens the cultural and ecological riches that inhabit the Valley.

The Jequitinhonha Valley is much more than a territory to be explored: it is a space of living culture, biodiversity and resistance. Its people continue to fight, echoing their voices to protect the rivers and their ways of life. The Jequitinhonha Valley is full of territorialities, and several traditional communities are responsible for protecting the Biomes that exist in the region; Atlantic Forest, Cerrado and Caatinga. Jequitinhonha is history, resistance, culture, diversity, wisdom and ancestry.