FROM THE SERTÃO TO THE SERINGAIS: THE LIFE STORY OF AN AMAZONIAN RUBBER TAPPER, THE SUSSUARANA FAMILY

Abstract

This work proposes to present the life story of an amazonian rubber tapper who, like so many, lived through the challenges and ailments imposed by the droughts in the northeast and the work’s difficulties in the forest, which began in the 18th century. It's about of Mr Chico, Francisco Alves Sussuarana, with a popular name and an exotic surname whose origin involves narratives that focus on synchronic and diachronic variations, feeding the imagination of his descendants. Francisco Alves Sussuarana wasn’t a national hero, much less an international one, but he left a legacy that stirred the collective thinking of his generation, even after the centenary of his birth (1909-1978). The value of this research is found precisely in the rescue of the researched's history/memory; constructed through the narratives of social classes composed of invisible people, by the official historical narratives, who, being a humble person, do not have records that could facilitate the findings to subsidize this work. However, the research continued along meagre and arid investigative paths, over ten years, until it gained substance. The motivation for this study is found in the desire to materialize in a literary record the history of the Sussuarana family that, in the face of so many challenging migratory processes, ended up losing some clues that could unveil the trajectory of this rubber tapper. For this, we use bibliographical research for historiographical contextualization and the method of “Oral History” Meihy (2018), which stands out for the breadth of researched who are depositaries of traditions. Still in the light of oralist Bosi (1994), who states that the past is kept alive and is expressed automatically in people's actions; it is what she calls the habit history but which also, on the other hand, can occur in isolation, independent of action or habit; they are unique, authentic memories, “a true resurrection of the past” (BOSSI, 1994). This article corroborates the theoretical approach of Meihy and Bosi who highlight the importance of research on local histories, in comparison with “official” histories; emphasize the value of micro-stories as opposed to the “true” stories of “heroes”. We had everything to succumb to mythical explanations, but we were desiderata, persistent and resilient; with only two instruments in its favor, the peculiarity of the researched's surname and the investigative spirit, a decade of studies was undertaken that raised unprecedented, revealing and surprising results.