Lago de Serpa e identidade quilombola: usos e saberes em interdependência

Abstract

This research seeks to reflect on the interdependent relationships between the water bodies of Lake Serpa and the Quilombola community of Sagradas Coração de Jesus, located on Lake Serpa, in the municipality of Itacoatiara, Amazonas. In this sense, it aims to understand the economic, social, and symbolic functions performed by the lake for the community, such as water supply, river transport, subsistence fishing, and spiritual connection, developed from the know-how of the Quilombola agents. This knowledge, built around the lake—a central element in the life of the Quilombo—is preserved in the collective memory of the residents and transmitted between generations through oral tradition. However, this ancestral knowledge, which contributed to the protection of the lake for many years, is threatened by the political, private, and business interests of individuals who have no historical ties to the traditional community. Despite this, the socio-political mobilization of quilombola agents has been fundamental in reaffirming their identity as guardians of natural resources. The investigation is based on the collective and affective memory of the residents. Using the methodology of Oral History and attentive listening to the quilombola people, through individual interviews and group discussions, the aim is to identify the impacts of the lake's use on the community, as well as the contemporary challenges to its preservation, so that the population can maintain a healthy relationship of interdependence with the lake's waters and its ecosystem. The preservation of Lake Serpa depends directly on the traditional knowledge and ways of life of the quilombola people. Despite the various power forces at play in the Serpa community, which will be detailed throughout this work, Black resistance, combined with traditional knowledge and the community's organizational capacity, has prevailed. The recent achievement of collective land territory is a testament to the strength of the quilombolas in their struggle to preserve their natural resources and secure historical redress. This achievement represents one of the most effective strategies for the preservation of the land and the lake.