Irmã de índio, mulher de branco: perspectivas femininas no alto rio Negro

Abstract

A posição "deslocada" das mulheres é um traço constitutivo da experiência social feminina no alto rio Negro, em contraste com a masculina, esta fortemente centrada na noção de "pertencimento". Tomando isso por pressuposto, realiza-se, neste artigo, uma reflexão sobre a experiência social das mulheres indígenas que residem na cidade de São Gabriel da Cachoeira, principal pólo urbano da bacia do alto rio Negro. Com base em análise etnográfica, discute-se o modo como os casamentos com brancos na cidade contribuem para o processo de transformação da experiência social feminina.

Directions of Existence: Indigenous Women Domestics in the Paris of the Tropics1

“…Geraldo Andrello's () ethnography of Iauaretê describes a town that is predominately indigenous, established at a mission‐and‐trading site in the heart of an indigenous territory. Likewise, Cristiane Lasmar's studies of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, a town at the edge of the same indigenous area, point to important transformations among Tukanoan migrants, who comprise 40 percent of the population (Lasmar , ). The studies by Andrello and Lasmar, conducted in remote towns where Tukanoan families comprise a significant portion of the population, provide an important counterpoint to the case analyzed here.…”

“…Among the important issues identified by scholars of indigenous urbanization is the extent to which “place” contributes to the construction and shaping of ethnic identities and values (Lasmar ; Ximenes Ponte ). There is a long and rich history of discussion concerning urbanization and the demise of collectivities.…”

Can urban migration contribute to rural resistance? Indigenous mobilization in the Middle Rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil

“…This can result in rural out-migration or the constitution of new multi-local livelihood strategies (Eloy and Lasmar 2012). The causes of migration go beyond economic reasons, varying from forced migration induced by missionaries (Chernela 2012), threats to traditional territory (Romano 1981) and internal conflicts (Brandhuber 1999), to voluntary desire for upward mobility (Lasmar 2005(Lasmar , 2008.…”

“…More recently, there are various records of indigenous migration/mobility to urban areas. They tend to focus on Manaus, the largest urban center in the region (Romano 1981;Pereira da Silva 2001;Bernal 2003;Bernal and Mainbourg 2009;Melo 2009;Figoli andFazito 2009), or Upper RN (Fígoli 1982;Brandhuber 1999;Lasmar 2005Lasmar , 2008Andrello 2006;Chernela 2012;Eloy and Lasmar 2012). In cities, indigenous people reorganize their social networks, creating an extended kinship network that includes more distant kin and friends, and is maintained by visits among them (Pereira da Silva 2001).…”

“…Amazon rural-urban networks permit the circulation of cash, remittances, goods and gifts, but also new technologies, tools, consumer preferences and skills (Pinedo-Vasquez 2009). Sometimes these networks expand towards the 'white world', through marriages between indigenous women and non-indigenous men (Lasmar 2005(Lasmar , 2008. Networks are not only constituted and maintained by kinships, but they also create political relationships that serve to mobilize resources.…”