The territorialization of the Katxuyana indigenous people in the Trombetas region, western Pará

Resumo

The article analyzed the territorialization process of the Katxuyana indigenous people, in the municipality of Oriximiná, western Pará, Brazil. In the early 2000s, the Katxuyana returned to their territory of origin, after living for over 30 years in other territories. The process of territorialization for the Katxuyana has a dual meaning: affirmation of an identity and the struggle for the demarcation of their traditionally occupied territory. These collectives have differentiated relations with the form of appropriation of the territory, often generating conflicts, struggles, and territoriality, on which a cultural system is established that constitutes the pillars of the indigenous people and the sense of belonging to that territory, which goes far beyond a means of subsistence, having symbolic dimensions that underlie social life. Thus, the actions that involve the indigenous collective are the revindication for the right to use and political autonomy over the territory. To develop this text, a bibliographic review was carried out regarding the concepts of territorialization, territoriality, and identity, with an emphasis on authors of Geography and related areas, as well as the reflections resulting from dialogues held with the Katxuyana, obtained through interviews, meetings and field work.