The indigenous issue in the socio-spatial formation of the Vale do Jaguaribe, Ceará

Abstract

The study proposes a theoretical reflection based on a bibliographic investigation on the role of indigenous contribution in the socio-spatial formation process of the Vale do Jaguaribe, in Ceará, linking the insertion of economic activities, mainly livestock, with the indigenous issue in the region, which since the arrival of foreigners has been involved in many conflicts. Faced with this context, pressured by an irreversible structure, indigenous groups e stablished strategies that resulted in resistance processes, but that did not prevent the invader from continuing with the colonizing project of the original peoples' extermination. In this sense, this analysis, which deals with an important aspect of the Vale do Jaguaribe's past history, allows us to interpret the socio-spatial formation of this region from a painful process, with the entry of whites and livestock, who together legitimized the expropriation of indigenous lands. Even though they were brutally violated and assimilated with the rest of society, these peoples tell us that they were here and resisted before us, through the strong presence in the toponymy of the municipalities and in the preserved customs. Despite the colonial attempt to eliminate indigenous habits, identities and cultures, they were not stuck in the past, as they continue to reinvent themselves, transforming and organizing themselves nowadays.