Feast days, territory, and political alliances among quilombola communities in Salvaterra, Marajó Island, Pará, Brazil

Abstract

This article analyzes patron saint festivals held among 15 quilombola communities located in the municipality of Salvaterra, Ilha do Marajó, in the state of Pará, Brazil. The analysis relies on the central concepts of territory and gifts to understand the construction of political alliances among the quilombola groups. Based on ethnographic research, this study demonstrates that the patron saint festivals held in these communities help build and maintain political alliances, as well as gather and mutually engage communities in one large celebration circuit that extends beyond the borders of these communal territories. In this way, patron saint festivals are events that reaffirm the sense of belonging to a community and a territory, reinforcing the willingness to struggle against the state for guaranteed territorial rights.