Possession versus power: indigenous land and the generation of conflicts

Abstract

This work aims to explain about the relationship established between “possession” and “power” in the context of indigenous lands in Brazil as a cause of conflict. This is a pertinent discussion, as these assumptions are infused since the colonization of the country and reverberate until the present day. The methodology used was inductive, using the descriptive historical method and bibliographical and documental research. A brief overview of the trajectory of indigenous peoples in Brazil was presented, in order to substantiate the argument about the itinerary of territorial and cultural dispossession of these ethnic groups, also highlighting the constitutional landmarks that guide their rights. From this context, some of the meanings behind the terms “possession” and “power” regarding land were unraveled, bringing to light, as a result, their consequent relationship within the scope of indigenous lands, as a cause that generates conflicts. Furthermore, the contradiction in constitutional effectiveness was observed in this context. It is concluded that land ownership will become an original
right of indigenous peoples, however, the dominant power forces even exercise dominion over legal and constitutional regulations. However, the resistance of indigenous peoples, added to the efforts of others, represents a significant means of sustaining the clash of forces.