Narrativas indígenas: construindo identidades e constituindo-se em fontes de informação

Abstract

This is a doctoral research based on both, the concept of language as a social practice and on dialogism (BAKHTIN, 2010a, 2010b) as a natural phenomena of human discourse. Supported by Cultural Studies approach this work aims at investigating how the Potiguara narratives are constituted as an element to build up the Indians identities and to be a source of Indian information. The methodology applied was the Oral History (MEIHY; HOLANDA, 2010), the interview techniques and the participant observation. The work involved the analysis of written narratives and oral narratives and was developed in two moments: the first, a bibliographical and Internet research and the second, a field research. The data collection corresponded to the recording of oral narratives obtained in the Potiguara Indian settlement located in the cities of Rio Tinto, Marcação and Baía da Traição, in the State of Paraíba. The study of written narratives was done by the analysis of the book “Os Potiguara pelos Potiguara” (OS POTIGUARA…, 2010). By the use of different voices, the Potiguara people establish dialogues with the interlocutors and build their own discourse from others´ discourses (BAKHTIN/VOLOCHÍNOV, 2009). The research results show that the narrative language constitutes an element of (re)construction of the Potiguara identity and these narratives constitute Indian information source according to the users´ interpretation. Besides, the narratives corroborates the fact that popular short story is an elaboration within life (AYALA, 2011). The Potiguara narratives indicate the rupture with the colonizer discourse, once they demonstrate the incorporation of new values, that is to say that they resignify the previews colonizers´ values. When the Potiguara describe themselves, they stress new values such as: they are workers in sugar cane plantation or in the marshy ground, they live in houses not in the forest, and they take part in different religious practices. The Potiguara discourse releases the present from the past and introduces a counter discourse which negates the stereotypes produced by the colonizers; it is a discourse of resistance.