Raposa Serra do Sol: vínculo e pertencimento

Abstract

The dissertation works in a dialogical perspective to explore an indigenous festival that celebrated the 30th anniversary of the so called “Battle of Santa Cruz”, a conflict between Indians, jagunços (private militia), and the Brazilian army, that took place in the State of Roraima in 1987. The analysis departs from the Anthropology of Performance and the interpretivist approach, having the five days festival as an opportunity for local leadership to recollect memories of the violent conflict in order to build narratives related to the birth of the Terra Indígena Raposa Serra do Sol, the territory they legally conquered in 2005, in the following of the battle. The celebration was organized by the Indigenous Council of Roraima (Conselho Indigenista de Roraima) to give room to exchanges between old leaders who experienced the above mentioned conflict, and the present young generation who only heard about it, having a light idea of what happened. Making use of this intergenerational dialogue the Indigenous Council planned to help young people to build strong identities based in their communal history, and to develop tools to deal with the colonial context they still live in. Despite there is no more question about the legal control over their land, and that open conflicts are not usual anymore, those indigenous peoples are still struggling against exclusion and inequality. They face constants problems with local politicians, recently arrived evangelical churches, alcoholic beverages traders, drugs dealers, and a large supply of technology and commodities that the young generation cannot enjoy, resulting in failed expectations. In resume, the dissertation describes the interaction between two indigenous generations exploring their way of making politics by changing affection, and performing their past in a poetic way to keep the young generation attached to their territory, and to improve their life quality while living there.