O tempo dos ancestrais e o tempo presente: a escrita Desana em “Antes o mundo não existia”, a História, e as lutas políticas Tukano (anos 70-90, séc. XX)

Abstract

The present dissertation aims to analyze the literary production titled "Antes o Mundo Não Existia" (1980; 1995; 2018), considered the first book written in Brazil by indigenous authors, with the objective of investigating the interactions between writing, orality, and the natural elements present in the context of the Desana people, who are responsible for the work, in order to comprehend the construction of a fluid historical narrative present in ancestral traditions. To this end, the trajectory of the book will be examined, including the process of its production and the historical context that enabled its creation, encompassing aspects such as the history of the Alto Rio Negro region, the emergence of indigenous organizations in Brazil, the educational practices promoted by missionaries among indigenous peoples, and the process of transmission of Desana knowledge. We can notice, in this context, the contribution of these elements to the elaboration of a work that demonstrates an interaction with Tukano-Desana epistemology, both in terms of resistance to imposed practices and the preservation of the tradition of historical narrative.