Indigenous people as users of the law: An ethnographic study on how the movement of indigenous literature understands and uses Law No. 11.645/08

Abstract

This paper shows how the contemporary indigenous movement clearly demonstrates the multiple network of relationships between indigenous peoples and the Brazilian society. The discussion will answer the question: How did indigenous actors use Law No. 11.645/08 to act as social agents outside their traditional fields? In order to do this, a methodological approach was used from an indigenous perspective derived from my experience as an observer and participant in the indigenous movement led by the Mekukradjá caravan, a project to disseminate indigenous literature in Brazil. This discussion enables us to see indigenous people not only as objects of the law, but also as subjects of their own right.