Zakapnau na 'ik pidiaynii nhau: roças e capoeiras indígenas em ilhas de mata no lavrado de Roraima

Abstract

Indigenous peoples have been managing the Amazon region for millennia through regenerative and sustainable practices. The roças (swidden fields) and capoeiras (fallows) are areas managed by many indigenous peoples, where a large part of agrobiodiversity is conserved; and traditional knowledge, or ethnoknowledge, is transmitted. Most of the indigenous lands of Roraima, in the extreme north of Brazil, are located in the “savanna” or “lavrado” region. In this region, where the predominance is of herbaceous vegetation, the indigenous roças are installed in areas of forest vegetation, mainly in natural forest fragments called “forest islands”. The forest islands are essential for the indigenous populations of the lavrado, not only for planting crops in roças, but also for hunting and extracting wood, thatch etc. The object of study of this research are the forest islands managed in four indigenous communities of the lavrado, which were studied with the following objectives: 1) to analyze information resulting from the ethno-mapping of the forest islands, in relation to soils, positive and negative points, percentage of open areas (roças); 2) to describe the agrobiodiversity of indigenous roças and capoeiras; 3) to analyze the ethno-knowledge related to soils, roças and capoeiras; 4) examine soil fertility in roças and capoeiras. The main results were: 1) Each family clears an average of 2500 m2 of forest annually to install roças. The most pressured islands are those closest to the center of communities. The main positive aspects mapped on the islands were the presence of hardwood and game animals; and the negative ones were related to fire and the entry of animals into roças. 2) 16 species and 129 varieties of crop plants were registered in roças and capoeiras, and 37 species of natural regeneration. The descendants of the majority (83%) of the producers know how to work in roças. 3) The indigenous classification considers the color and texture of the soils, where the more clayey and red ones are more fertile. The type of soil is the main criterion for choosing the site for planting roças, but less fertile soils are also used. The main reason for the need for capoeira is to control weeds. Older people have greater plant diversity in the roças. 4) Soil texture was the main determinant of fertility. The roças are less acidic than the capoeiras, but the pH is high in all areas (> 6). The increase in nutrients expected in the roças did not occur, due to the effect of burning, in comparison with the capoeiras (0-20 cm). There was also no change in fertility over the months of cultivation, or under the influence of fallow time. Even so, the growth of capoeira is essential for the recovery of ecological and social functions. In conclusion, the knowledge of the producers confirms this broad view on the functions of capoeira, use of roças, and soil management. The perpetuation of ethno-knowledge is essential for the conservation of agrobiodiversity, in the face of a scenario of increasing pressures, where territorial management actions can support traditional practices and producers.