Contact relationships in the Indigenous Land Mãe Maria (Pará, Brazil) and the Hàkti mẽ Kuhỳ myth (Royal Hawk and Fire)

Abstract

During the second half of the 20th century, the Amazon was the scene of the intensification of the so-called colonization policies of the Brazilian State. This process resulted in the compulsory displacement of the Gavião indigenous people (Kỳikatêjê, Parkatêjê and Akrãtikatêjê) to the Mãe Maria Indigenous Land, located in southeastern Pará. The article analyzes how indigenous leaders think about the myth Hàkti mẽ Kuhỳ (Royal Hawk and Fire) as a discourse whose interpretation is mobilized in light of the vicissitudes of the context of dealings with the mining company Vale S/A, locates the internal articulations of intergroup alliances, discursive strategies and certain understandings in the uses of their own language and the Portuguese language and in the defense of territorial interests. The methodological orientation of the anthropological field research lies in monitoring the relations between the Gavião and Vale S/A between 2018 and 2022 within the scope of the agreement renewal policies, in the recording of meetings, meetings of the chiefs and the implications of knowledge traditional in conflict situations. The situation of Gavião’s struggles and forms of organization in recent years, quickly highlighting the complexity of indigenous life in Mãe Maria Indigenous Land, are articulated to the myth referenced as part of the process of transformation of society and culture itself, therefore being a key to a significant reading in the attempt to understand how the terms typical of Gavião indigenous they are thought through contact with the non-indigenous presence.