COVID-19 IN THE INDIGENOUS PURUS: NARRATIVES AND PERCEPTIONS OF APURINÃ AND PAUMARI LEADERS

Abstract

In this work, narratives of indigenous leaders about the critical moment of the pandemic of Covid-19 in the municipalities of Tapauá, Lábrea and Pauini are analyzed, pointing out coping strategies produced by the indigenous movement as resistance to the coronavirus pandemic. These narratives were given in the social context imposed on the Apurinã and Paumari indigenous people, in the referred municipalities, located in the Middle Purus region. For data collection, access to social networks was used, singularly whatsapp, in audio files. The statements of the leaders participating in the research show that the health crisis caused by the spread of the virus worsened weaknesses already experienced, such as the territorial protection policy by the Brazilian State. At the same time, the restriction imposed by the State authorities represented an unexpected shock for many villages, especially those that depend on products from the city in their daily lives. Thus, the indigenous leaders found themselves, from one moment to the next, in a real race to meet the emergency aid agenda, which became a priority for the indigenous movement during that period.