BETWEEN FORESTS AND RIVERS: the daily life of Tenetehar-Tembé childhood through children

o cotidiano da infância Tenetehar-Tembé pelas crianças

Abstract

This paper analyzes the daily life of Tenetehar-Tembé childhood from the point of view of children. Based on studies of the anthropology of children, it aims to understand the meanings and senses of how childhood is lived among the Tenetehar-Tembé. To this end, the anthropological discussion on the diversity of childhoods and its distinct conceptions produced in multiple contexts is situated. The research was based on the use of children's drawings, a methodological perspective present in classic anthropological studies that illuminates current research to scrutinize the autonomy of the child universe in the social, cultural, and political organization of their groups. The results allowed us to understand the active participation of the Tenetehar-Tembé children in the maintenance of their traditionally occupied territory. The daily life of these children is permeated with experiences that aim to prepare them to become Tenetehar-Tembé. To this end, they share various collective spaces with the adults and are always together with the elders in meetings and ritualistic processes. For the Tenetehar Tembé, to be recognized as indigenous depends on the territory for the development of these practices, as the children narrated through their drawings. The study allowed us to analyze the process of becoming an adult and an indigenous person as part of an important and indispensable relationship with other beings of nature and with the elders, which mobilized us to reflect that for children and adults, becoming a Tenetehar-Tembé is fundamental to guaranteeing and remaining in their territory.