Saberes Enawene Nawe nas tramas do Estado: a patrimonialização do ritual Yaokwa em contextos conflitivo

Abstract

The dissertation “Enawene Nawe Knowledge in the State’s Web: The Heritagization of the Yaokwa Ritual in Conflictual Contexts” investigates the heritagization process of the Yaokwa ritual, a central cultural practice of the Enawene Nawe people, located in the Juruena river side in Mato Grosso. The study analyzes how the Brazilian state interacts with Indigenous cultures, treating heritagization as both a symbolic and material recognition mechanism within a context of historical and social vulnerability. The central hypothesis is that, although heritage policies are not formally considered reparative policies, they function as recognition instruments for these people, even in a context of scarce public reparative policies. The Yaokwa ritual, declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2011, is the only Brazilian heritage in the category requiring urgent safeguarding measures. The research highlights the bureaucratic and political process of heritagization, including the disputes between various social actors, such as the state and the Enawene Nawe. It also examines the implications of this process for heritage management, addressing issues such as preservation, tourism, funding, and the impacts of public policies on the power relations between the state and Indigenous peoples.The dissertation is organized into three chapters: The first focuses on the political and territorial disputes of the Enawene Nawe people, discussing the creation of their Indigenous Land and the legal conflicts related to land ownership. The second analyzes the trajectory of the Yaokwa ritual, from its formal recognition as heritage to the controversies that arose, particularly regarding the construction of hydroelectric plants and the expansion of agriculture. The third chapter explores safeguarding policies and public reparative policies, examining how these measures relate to memory, identity, and legitimacy for the Enawene Nawe people, and comparing Brazilian policies with reparative actions taken in other contexts. The research aims to shed light on the power dynamics and complexities of the interaction between the state and Indigenous peoples, highlighting the challenges and possibilities that heritagization offers in a scenario of inequality and the struggle for recognition.