Os Yanomami e a ditadura militar: narrativas do xamã Davi Kopenawa sobre os projetos desenvolvimentistas (1970-1985)

Abstract

This research presents the results of a documentary and bibliographic study that aims to analyze the images, myths, and narratives evoked by the Yanomami to interpret the context of sanitary and social collapse caused, between 1970 and 1985, by the construction of the Perimetral Norte Highway (BR-210) and the Radambrasil Project. These programs formed part of the developmental agenda of the military dictatorship, seeking to exploit the Amazon's resources and integrate the region into the rest of the country. For this purpose, Davi Kopenawa was chosen as the Yanomami people's spokesperson, given his role as both a shaman and political leader, as well as his commitment to making the history, knowledge, and demands of the Yanomami known to white people. The research involved an analysis of the book The Falling Sky: Words of a Yanomami Shaman (2015), written by Davi Kopenawa in collaboration with ethnologist Bruce Albert, as well as an investigation of documents from the National Truth Commission regarding the case. Furthermore, a bibliographic review of previous studies on the dictatorship, the Yanomami, Amerindian thought, and Yanomami cosmology was conducted. In terms of theoretical framework, this study engages with decolonial concepts, understanding Yanomami thought as a form of resistance to colonial patterns of power (QUIJANO, 2005), and as a means of epistemic decentralization and political struggle. As a result, it is understood that the elaborations of the Yanomami constitute a process of resistance aimed at ensuring both the physical and symbolic survival of their people.