Uma liga camponesa “composta de caboclos da Serra”: os Xukuru do Ororubá e a Liga Camponesa Clementino da Hora (Pesqueira - PE, 1948-1969)

Abstract

In the early context of the Civil-Military Dictatorship in Brazil, inquiries were launched to investigate acts considered subversive or contrary to the perceived "democratic regime." It is within this scenario that the Summary Investigation Process Nº 85 emerges, opened in early May 1964, with the aim of analyzing the alleged "invasion" that occurred the previous year at the Pedra d'Água site, an area belonging to the former village of Cimbres, which had been ceded by the Pesqueira-PE City Hall to the Federal Government. The central point of this dissertation lies in the association of the Xukuru do Ororubá indigenous people with the Peasant League during the event investigated in the Process. However, our analysis departs from a different perspective: we do not consider this action as subversion but as a resumption. In other words, we understand that the indigenous people employed this strategy as a means to secure their rights over the territory in question. The study of this movement becomes even more relevant when we understand that the League was named after the Xukuru chief, Clementino da Hora, who was active during the Paraguayan War, and the area reclaimed by the organization holds great importance for indigenous religious rituals. Despite this, news and official documents on the subject rarely mention the Xukuru's involvement in this movement. Furthermore, the intersection between the Peasant Leagues and the Xukuru proves to be highly significant for a practical understanding of the concept of territorialization and for an analysis of the forms of resistance and claims adopted by these indigenous people in their relationship with the State. Through this analysis, we envision a deeper understanding of the complexity of the relationships between power, territory, and identity.