The trunk and the branches: the formation of indigenous territories in the Sertão of the state of Alagoas
Indigenous Ethnology – State of Alagoas – Sertão - territory
This paper analyzes the bibliographic production on indigenous populations in the Sertão of the state of Alagoas, Northeastern Brazil. From the selection, reading and analysis of articles, books, dissertations and theses, this research aims to understand how those indigenous populations appropriated and organized their territories in the Sertão. In the late nineteenth century, several families and groups of Pankararu Indians, fleeing violence and land conflicts, left the Sertão of the state of Pernambuco in search of new settlements in the Sertão of the state of Alagoas. These migratory movements continued and intensified throughout the 20th century and continue today. These spatial displacements gave rise to several settlements and six indigenous ethnic groups: Jeripankó, Karuazu, Katokinn, Kalankó, Koiupanká and, more recently, Pankararu de Delmiro Gouveia. Despite being autonomous groups, they maintain strong social ties with the Pankararu, whom they refer to as relatives. The bibliographical research, therefore, aims to reconstruct the history of these spatial displacements and the constitution of indigenous territories in the Sertão of the state of Alagoas.