Thirteenth International Conference on The Constructed Environment

Abstract

Environmental/economic policies, deforestation, fires, and invasions have contributed to the dispossession and killing of indigenous people in Brazil. The violence, however, is not restricted to the Amazon rainforest. The violence is also part of the everyday life of indigenous communities living in urban areas. Taking as a point of departure the documentary “This place is also mine” (2021), “Índios na cidade” (2013), and Daniel Munduruku’s works, this communication examines how the indigenous communities articulate their relationship with the city and their strategies to demand their rights. I argue that, by reaffirming their traditional roots and the relationship between individuals and nature, these communities demand their right to be seen as equals. In so doing, they re-create a sense of kinship that help position themselves as political actors.