O percurso do Pa'mʉripinõ: a formação de territorialidade dos Pa’mʉrimahsã da Comunidade Matapí, Alto Rio Negro - AM

Abstract

For generations, the Pa’mʉrimahsã peoples traditional inhabitants of the Uaupés River Basin in the Upper Rio Negro region (Amazonas, Brazil) have developed a way of life capable of sustaining their reproduction and maintaining a balanced relationship with both the visible and invisible dimensions of nature. The journey of Pa’mʉripinõ (the Great Serpent) forms a central part of their origin story, merging two fundamental dimensions: geographic space and the constellation of elements that comprise their cultural way of life. These two axes lie at the core of the creation process of the Pa’mʉrimahsã. The spatial-geographical dimension refers to the path taken by Pa’mʉripinõ, from Opẽko Dihtara (Milk Lake) to the “Emergency Hole,” located at the Ipanoré Falls in the Lower Uaupés region. This path includes, in particular, the homes of the waímahsã located along Pa’mʉripinõ's route and the Uaupés River Basin itself as the ancestral territory of the Pa’mʉrimahsã peoples in the Upper Rio Negro. This cosmovision helps explain the origin of their unique way of life and also represents their identity, existence, and above all, their resistance. In this context, the present study aims to analyze the formation of territoriality among the Pa’mʉrimahsã through the journey of Pa’mʉripinõ, as well as to examine the current condition of ancestral ways of life in the Matapí Community. Located in the Lower Uaupés region within the Alto Rio Negro Indigenous Territory (AM), Matapí reflects a reality interwoven with both local traditions and external influences. Practices such as Bahsese and the use of medicinal plants for the prevention, treatment, and cure of illnesses are still maintained. However, certain ancestral elements face silencing, including the Bahsese itself, the indigenous language, the origin story of the Pa’mʉrimahsã, and the weakening of Indigenous, Intercultural, and Differentiated School Education. Thus, it is urgent to reorganize public policy to support the convergence of Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge systems, making them jointly meaningful across the varied realities experienced by Indigenous peoples, primarily in enhancing the quality of life of children, youth, and adults in the Matapí Community. Keywords: