The Kaiowá and Guarani in Mato Grosso do Sul and their tireless struggles for tekoha in the face of territorial, environmental and forms of mobility

Abstract

The article discusses the ways in which the Kaiowá and Guarani act in defense of their traditionally occupied territories in the midst of a historical process marked by profound changes in the environment and territory. The effort is to situate, based on the analysis of data gathered in technical reports and academic works, how these indigenous people acted and continue to act to face such transformations, as subjects of their own history. The attempt to impose confinement in reserves demarcated by the Indian Protection Service - SPI, between 1915 and 1928, discusses the strategies of communities to remain in parts of their traditionally occupied territories throughout the 20th century and, from the 1980s, to overcome the limits imposed on reserves. The senses of the resumption movement are highlighted, intensified in the last four decades, and characterized by intense and risky mobilizations to recover expropriated territories, which are inseparable from the realization of the ways of being oneself - teko, which bring together sustainability practices, sociability and ritual forms, essential for the production of Kaiowá and Guarani - Tekoha territoriality. Thus, the aim is to contribute to broadening the understanding of the complex scenario of land disputes between indigenous and rural landowners in MS.