Outside the books, but present on the land: Indigenous technologies in family farming

Abstract

Outside the books, but present on the land: Indigenous technologies in family farming

Abstract

The appropriation of indigenous technologies by hegemonic groups, especially during the Brazilian colonial period, was and still is a strategy to render traditional peoples and communities invisible, while sustaining structural dominance through the discourse of superiority. This article aims to reflect on the incorporation of indigenous technologies in environmental management by a community of family farmers, descendants of Swiss settlers, in the municipality of Nova Friburgo (RJ). Using environmental history, the study analyzed the persistence of techniques, tools, and agricultural practices in the region. Traces in the landscape, accounts from naturalist travelers, and oral traditions of Puris indigenous people and farmers confirm aspects of the relationship between indigenous peoples and nature that were appropriated by settlers in the 19th century and continue to exist today. This work reinforces the study of technologies as a promising approach towards recognizing and valuing indigenous knowledge, serving as an important tool through decolonial political ecology to seek solutions for contemporary ethnic, historical, social, economic, and environmental issues.