Political agency of indigenous peoples: the Guarani-Kaiowa’s fight for survival and recognition

Abstract

The article examines the survival strategies and political reactions of indigenous groups in areas of agricultural frontiers that are strongly influenced by cultural symbols, family bonds and land-based responses. It is discussed the unique socio-spatial trajectory of indigenous peoples and, in addition, a typology of the indigenous space is proposed. The analysis is focused on the emblematic example of how frontier making was experienced by the Guarani-Kaiowa of South America. The wisdom and resistance of Guarani-Kaiowa groups derive from the simultaneous ethnicisation of space and spatialisation of culture. They have shown latent geographical agency shaped by religious practices, strong family ties and the ability to internally negotiate the return to their original areas. There are many lessons to be learned, in particular the talent to absorb the increasing and dissimulated brutality of frontier making and, at the same time, voice their political demands, form solid strategic alliances and coordinate land-recovery initiatives.

Nature conservation, indigenous rights, and settler colonialism: the politics of payments for ecosystem services in Mato Grosso do Sul (Brazil)

“…The power of the latter results from their transnational connections to the colonial powers (VERACINI, 2010, p. 6). As this section will show, the ongoing settler colonialism shapes the political and economic structure of MS until today (IORIS, 2019).…”

Indigeneity and political economy: Class and ethnicity of the Guarani-Kaiowa

“…The political economy of indigeneity does not merely comply with pre-conceived categories such as kinship, spirituality and territoriality, just as it is not dissociated from capitalist expansionist and exploitative tendencies. Indigeneity is as a relational category with deep historical, institutional and power-inflicted ontologies (Radcliffe 2017) that is affected by and plays a very important role in the production of place and space (Ioris 2019). A critical account of indigeneity is less about authenticity and purism, and more about the forms of power and economic activity that produce indigeneity in a constant relationship with non-indigenous subjects, statehood, policy-making and academia (Radcliffe 2017).…”

Indigenous Labor and Land Resources: Guarani–Kaiowa’s Politico–Economic and Ethnic Challenges

“…The political economy of indigeneity does not merely comply with pre-conceived categories such as kinship, spirituality and territoriality, just as it is not dissociated from capitalist expansionist and exploitative tendencies. On the contrary, indigeneity is a relational category with deep historical, institutional and power-inflicted ontologies [7] that is affected by and plays a very important role in the production of place and space [8]. A critical account of indigeneity is less about authenticity and purism, and more about the forms of power and economic activity that produce indigeneity in a constant relationship with non-indigenous subjects, statehood, policy-making and academia [7].…”

“…These areas are descried and praised as tekohas, which are ancestral, family lands and comprise not only the physical terrain, but are sites of collective memory that reinforce and inspire socio-political networks. The government attempted to remove the indigenous residents (the actual owners of the land, according to colonial and national legislation, see [8]) and forced them to move to the small indigenous reservations. Official documents and public speeches systematically ignored the presence of the indigenous community and totally neglected their legal rights over the area [23].…”