In his first meeting with reporters since the April 7 massacre, chief Pio Cinta Larga said there were no more bodies to be found in the 2.7-million-hectare reservation, which has often been invaded by illegal prospectors.

"We keep taking them out. They keep coming back. The warriors lost patience and this is what happened," Cinta Larga said. "We are warriors. When there was no white man, none of the tribes were friends. This is how we resolved things."

Federal police have said the 29 miners were killed by the Cinta Larga Indian tribe in a dispute over diamond mining. The reservation is believed to have South American's largest diamond reserves.

The Japan Times Weekly: May 1, 2004
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