Indigeous condition. Colonization in the Brazil's South and the Challenges for a Plural Policy

Laburpena

This thesis is framed within the discussion on the process of colonization as an unfinished phenomenon, a topic of decolonial studies. Currently, the colonization of territory and its resources is advancing into one of the few areas in the world where bio and ethnodiversity are present. This study begins by addressing part of one of the most recent tragedies in Brazilian territory, caused by the construction of the world's third-largest hydroelectric power plant: the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant, whose activities started in 2016. The construction of the dam complex - which will promote industrial mining through its energy production - has altered the course of the Xingu River, one of the most important tributaries of the Amazon River, causing serious environmental and social damage. Indigenous peoples, especially those living on the edge of the dammed area, have been drastically affected by the construction, according to official reports from the National Indian Foundation and the Federal Public Ministry, among others. Even more impactful has been for recently contacted peoples, whose relations with the Brazilian National State began in 1987. The resulting consequences, especially the rapid deterioration of their quality of life, led to the creation of a specific mitigation program, later called the Emergency Plan, which, in practice, has generated even greater impact. Through literature review and analysis of various official documents, we recognize how the practice of gifts participates in the colonial dynamic, a constant presence since 1500. On the other hand, the numerous impacts caused by Belo Monte align with the reality experienced by native populations in the Latin American continent marked by contemporary extractivist projects. Among these, the increase in suicide rates among indigenous populations and its relation to social exclusion have been selected. Through literature review and analysis of suicide statistics in Brazilian territory, a comparison is made regarding the indigenous/non-indigenous phenomenon. We turn to Durkheim's sociology in his work "Suicide," reviewing his social types. Although some characteristics and descriptions of the author are applied to the Brazilian indigenous case, the phenomenon of high suicide rates among native populations is related to the social exclusion suffered once they are integrated into non-indigenous economic relationships. This exclusion is established through prior territorial reduction combined with insertion, from marginality, into the capitalist system. Regarding territorial reduction, we must also consider the debate on land use and the process of demarcation of indigenous territories. From the perspective of the colonized, the contradictions and difficulties of the demarcation process are discussed. In the second part of this research, we redirect our focus to a territory where the contact between indigenous and non-indigenous populations has occurred in a "recent-past" where, apparently, there is no indigenous population. In southern Brazil, in the area previously called Sertão de Coritiba, which comprised parts of the three states in the region. The scope for this study has been narrowed down to the currently named Planalto Serrano Catarinense, which includes the portion that belonged to Sertão de Coritiba within the state of Santa Catarina, based on a review of historiography and an analysis of a series of monuments located in the region's main city. The history of colonization in southern Brazil has unfolded parallel to the practices initiated in the 16th century, and at the same time, from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the territory has witnessed another colonizing structure with the reception of migrants from Italy and the Austro- Hungarian Empire. Both colonization waves have been devastating for the indigenous populations occupying the territory. The analysis of monuments and consultation of scarce related literature demonstrate the absence of recognition of this history, which could explain why 70% of the region's population identifies as "white." By comparing monuments, official discourse, and tourism advertising of the region with the work carried out through oral history and other primary materials, we verify to what extent the dominant and selective narrative has excluded the heritage and indigenous presence from the history of the region. Finally, through the different elements presented in the research, the aim is to define the concept of indigenous condition and its relationship with the process of colonization. However, undoubtedly, the main objective of this thesis is to focus attention on the serious risks that accidents such as those exposed here bring, as well as the consequences of the ongoing colonization process, still awaiting a true multiethnic policy.