Tupinamba’s peoples memories: stories about caboclo Marcelino

Abstract

The indigenous peoples of the Tupinamba nation in Olivença experience many stories of resistance that remain alive in the memories of the elders, being told orally by the elders within these communities. Some of these narratives were recorded in the book “Anciões em Contos e Encontros”, organized by Alessandra Mendes and Jaborandy Tupinambá. The book presents a mosaic of narratives by fourteen elders, composed from memorialist accounts and traditional tales. In these stories, many sages remember the figure of Caboclo Marcelino. This native was an indigenous leader who claimed, during the 1930s, the territorial rights of his community, being therefore persecuted by the local police and seen as a villain by the colonels of the region. At that time, the natives voices were silenced, and it is necessary to present them today, through writing, so that history is brushed against the grain, as proposed by Benjamin (1985). At starting point the stories recorded in Anciões em Contos e Encontros, it intends to analyze how the elders portray Caboclo Marcellino in his oral narratives and the importance of recalling this historical character to Tupinamba peoples. By means of the analysis of these narratives, it is also sought to divulge the relevance of this indigenous leadership for the strengthening of the Tupinamba identity.