Retomadas indígenas na metrópole de Belo Horizonte: entre vulnerabilidades, alianças e práticas para r-existir

Abstract

The processes of colonization and the expansion of urbanization have directly affected indigenous spaces and living conditions all over the world. However, the subject has raised little interest in academic research in the field of urban studies in Brazil. This work seeks to bring urban and indigenous issues closer through case studies of two land reclaiming (retomadas de terra) in the metropolis of Belo Horizonte: Aldeia Katurãma, created by indigenous people of the Pataxó and Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãe ethnic groups, and Aldeia Arapowã Kakyá, created by a Xukuru-Kariri group. The research aims to understand the factors that make these territories possible. The method adopted was qualitative research. The data collected was analyzed based on grounded theory and thematic analysis. The results show that the indigenous people live within a series of vulnerabilities inside and outside the retaken areas, that the continuity of the villages depends on alliances with various external agents and that their residents adopt a series of practices to r-exist within precariousness and invisibility. The study shows that the reclaimed lands act as a catalyzing force for the re-elaboration of indigeneity and that the residents absorb, subvert and indigenize elements of the 'white world'. The conclusion is that the concrete experiences of the land reclaiming point to other ways of inhabiting and producing (in) the urban, but that the difficult conditions make their future uncertain. Finally, it is argued that the paths to a more equitable urban environment for indigenous peoples must include not only strengthening alliances and practices of r-existence, but also overcoming the current political and legal understanding about indigenous peoples in Brazil. It is necessary to recognize the multi-territorial reality of these peoples and their presence in urban centers, as well as to valorize their potential for the protection and recovery of ecosystems. There is no reason why 'urbanity' and 'Indigenity' should continue to be mutually exclusive.