The Paint That Never Faded

Quiet Canines Podcast · Oct 27, 2026 · 3m

Ailton Krenak is an indigenous leader, environmentalist and writer.

Born in 1953 in the state of Minas Gerais, in the Middle Rio Doce region. At the age of seventeen, he moved with his family to the state of Paraná, where he learned how to read and write, and became a graphics producer and journalist.

In the 1980s, he began to devote himself exclusively to the indigenous movement.

During the Constituent Assembly of 1987, Ailton produced a striking scene: in a speech at the podium, dressed in a white suit, he painted his face black to protest against what he saw as a setback in the struggle…