Migration in Brazilian Afro-Descendants Communities: A New Approach to Illustrate the Meaning of Contemporary Quilombo

Abstract

Resumo: African-descendant populations in Latin America are heterogeneous in their history, culture, and genetic ancestry. In Brazil, these communities are known as quilombos. They were at first established as places of resistance to slavery in rural areas. However, others were formed as a result of a recent immigration. This has given rise to the discussion of how well all such groups fit the contemporary meaning of quilombo. We draw on evidence from field research in Central Brazil region to illustrate two examples of quilombos, a quilombo with families in the community for at least three generations, and others that are related to migration of Black communities. We call for an expansive meaning of quilombo that accommodates the historical diversity of these communities.

Cardiovascular risk factors across different levels of urbanization in Brazilian Afro‐derived communities (quilombos)

“…Quilombos descend from enslaved African people who were brought in inhumane conditions against their will to Brazil. Some quilombos were established when enslaved people run away (and possibly settled with indigenous peoples) but several were established due to their abandonment by their slavers in places deemed “no‐man's lands” (Paiva et al, 2020). This is the reason why the Kalunga's land, where subsistence agriculture is practiced, does not provide many cultigens or hardy riverine resources.…”

“…Even though they are numerous throughout Brazil, these communities remain an ethnic minority and have reduced population density, as reflected in relatively few families occupying an area corresponding to 0.12% of the national territory (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, 2011). Although most quilombos are in rural areas in Brazil, several communities are in urbanized areas (Carril, 2005; Oliveira & D'Abadia, 2015; Paiva et al, 2020). Quilombo communities suffer from greater inequality in their health compared to the larger Brazilian population (Cabral‐Miranda et al, 2010; de Melo & Silva, 2015; dos Santos & Silva, 2014; Gomes et al, 2013; Nascimento et al, 2009; Pinho et al, 2015; Silva et al, 2016).…”

Ancestry, diversity, and genetics of health-related traits in African-derived communities (quilombos) from Brazil

“…The interaction between different African-derived communities, as well as with the urban and Native populations around them, has been extensively recorded as the means of articulation and subsistence of quilombos (de Andrade 1995; Gomes 2015). Bearing in mind that the definition of quilombo in Brazil is critical for preserving their land rights and affirmative actions benefits, it is crucial to consider that not only one historical trajectory or demographic process can be attributed to quilombos in general (Guimarães Paiva et al 2020).…”

Contradicciones de la Amazonía en el Brasil: Una nueva perspectiva

“…Cambios en el paisaje cultural y en la socio-biodiversidad de la Amazonía brasileña, como la ocurrida en los pueblos originarios de distintas etnias en extrema vulnerabilidad, aún más, cuando la Covid-19, los asola con mayor crueldad; comunidades tradicionales como los Quilombolas, que son remanentes de los Quilombos o Palenques [9] y los Ribeirinhos, poblaciones que viven a las orillas de ríos o de Igarapés, practicando la pesca artesanal y una agricultura de pan coger; ambas, ignoradas por los Entes gubernamentales [10] [11]; y aún más, poblaciones locales que practican la agricultura familiar, en su mayoría agroecológicas, y las que subsisten a partir de la extracción sustentable de productos forestales no maderables (PFNM) como el caucho [Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex A.Juss.)…”