Waste and disposal in Indigenous Lands: the experience of the Gavião Pyhcop Catiji with solid waste in the Amazon (Brazil)

Abstract

The volume of solid waste that accumulates in Indigenous Lands in the Amazon today increases the ecological and political problems of the indigenous peoples, requiring reflection and action against garbage coming from urban areas. This article aims to describe how the Gavião people deal with the garbage discarded within the Governor Indigenous Land, identifying management practices and classification schemes according to the Gavião. Over 60 years of disposal in the Governor Indigenous Land, waste has been linked to periods of proximity and distance from the urban centers, requiring specific management practices. The categories 'poisonous waste', 'dangerous waste', and 'our waste' indicate dimensions of agency present in the waste, and imply different ways of dealing with each waste. Reflecting on different human abilities in dealing with waste enables us to take a new look at our problems with petroleum derivatives and human life on the planet.