Traditional peoples and communities of Brazil
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In international comparison, Brazil has a very developed debate about so-called traditional peoples and communities ( Povos e Comunidades Tradicionais ). This originally Brazilian name summarizes all local communities that lead a way of life that is oriented towards traditions and subsistence farming . The decisive factor here is that the assignment is independent of ethnic affiliation, and this includes not only indigenous groups, but also non-indigenous groups such as the quilombolas , who descend from black slaves, or the rubber tappers , who have European and Indian ancestors.
History and legal recognition
While indigenous land rights have played a role in politics since the founding of Brazil, the debate on rights for non-indigenous local communities did not begin until the 1980s. It all began with the rubber tappers in the state of Acre : They demanded secure territories and the right to a sustainable regional economy and developed the idea of collecting areas. By 2007 these efforts led to the designation of 65 such usable reserves ( Reservas Extrativistas , RESEX) in Amazonia with a total area of 117,720 km². Encouraged by this, other traditional communities, such as the Amazon rivers and Babaçu foragers , soon made similar demands, which were also successful. In 2004, with the “National Commission for Traditional Peoples and Communities”, a representation was set up for the first time, which should not only benefit indigenous peoples. In 2007 the legally binding “Decree for Traditional Peoples and Communities” was signed by the then President of the Republic Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva . In addition to the establishment of traditional rights, there is explicit reference to a sustainable development and economy, without which the long-term existence of these groups is hardly conceivable. In contrast to the land rights of the indigenous peoples and quilombolas guaranteed by the constitution , the decree does not contain any obligation to designate specific areas. There is no doubt that the legal position of local communities has improved significantly since the 1980s. However, as Brazil’s development policy is currently still based on the exploitation of natural resources and the destruction of ecosystems and destructive cultural change continue to progress dramatically, securing the territories is the decisive point for the long-term survival of local cultures.
Current debates
Traditional peoples and communities are cultures which, in the course of their history, have positioned themselves more frequently for the preservation of the existing structures. Since this is always an active process, they are neither more primitive nor less dynamic than the "modern cultures". In addition, it must be noted that the allocation is relative, as the distinction between “traditional” and “modern” is a subjective assessment that depends on the zeitgeist and is one-sided from the perspective of the modern. Science today regards them as the groups that have so far contributed least to the ecological and climatic threat to the planet. They have developed a large number of traditionally sustainable ways of life and economy that are adapted to the respective ecosystems. At the same time, it is precisely these groups that suffer particularly from economic development projects as well as ecological and climatic changes. The traditional peoples and communities, as so-called “subjects of sustainability”, can thus point a way out of this one-sided economy based on exploitation. The diverse and massive conflicts lead to fears that many local communities will lose their territories and with them their specific cultural forms of expression despite political improvements.
List of traditional peoples and communities in Brazil
In addition to the groups listed above, the indigenous population of Brazil is also included in this category.
Web links
- Portal Ypade
- Brasilicum 238/239 , Freiburg 2015, ISSN 2199-7594
- Documentation of the conference: "New old diversity - traditional peoples and communities in Brazil, November 27-29, 2015, Höchst im Odenwald
- Seminar recordings of the University of Kassel - In the winter semester 15/16 the seminar "Traditional peoples and communities in Brazil" was recorded in excerpts.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Dieter Gawora, Maria Helena de Souza Ide, Romulo Soares Barbosa (ed.), Mirja Annawald (transl.): Traditional peoples and communities in Brazil. Latin America Documentation Center. Kassel University Press, Kassel 2011.
- ↑ Decree 6040
- ^ Dieter Haller (text), Bernd Rodekohr (illustrations): Dtv-Atlas Ethnologie . 2nd Edition. dtv, Munich 2010, p. 111.
- ↑ Gawora, Dieter (Ed.): Social localization of traditional peoples and communities. Development Perspectives No. 102. Kassel University Press., Kassel 2012, ISBN 978-3-86219-420-9 , p. 15
- ↑ Insurgência das Comunidades Tradicionais de Fundo de Pasto do Baixio do São Francisco diante do Projeto de Irrigação Baixio de Irecê. , Case study from Bahia, accessed September 18, 2019 (Brazilian Portuguese).