O protagonismo da mulher indígena Ñandesy no estado de Mato Grosso do Sul: análise de narrativas

Abstract

This research is qualitative in nature and analyzes the narratives of a Guarani Ñandeva woman who plays the role of a healer in her community—a Ñandesy. The main objective is to investigate whether and how gender relations, territorial relations, and interpersonal relationships influence the identity construction of this woman, who sometimes assumes a leading role within her community. The theoretical framework includes studies on decolonial feminism (HOLLANDA, 2020; LUGONES, 2020; CRENSHAW, 2019; MIÑOSO, 2020; PAREDES, 2010; and CUSICANQUI, 2021), on the indigenous population of the Mato Grosso do Sul region (SHADEN, 1974; CAVALCANTE, 2018; MOTA, 2015; AMADO LE BOURLEGAT and URQUIZA, 2019), on identity issues (KILOMBA, 2019; and HAIDER, 2019), and on narrative theory (MEIHY and SEAWRIGHT, 2020; ARFUCH, 2019; PEDRO, 2017; ROVAI, 2017; LOZANO, 2017; and ALBERTI, 2017). Following Moita Lopes' (2006) conception that Applied Linguistics needs to engage with different theories to understand our times, this interdisciplinary study uses as its analytical corpus an interview with a Ñandesy, a healer in a village in the municipality of Dourados, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, on land that remains unregularized by the Fundação Nacional dos Povos Indígenas (FUNAI). By considering the Ñandesy's testimonies and the researcher's account as "self-narratives," the work allowed for an observation of her role in the community as both a religious and political leader, through her stories and the researcher's observations during fieldwork. Through this period of experience and engagement with the Guarani community and the Ñandesy, carrying out her work, as well as through the analysis of her stories, it became evident that her role as a woman, leader, and protagonist reshapes certain gender relations within that territory and fosters new kinship ties through prayer and leadership.