Eliane Potiguara

Eliane Lima dos Santos, known as Eliane Potiguara (born 29 September 1950 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), is a teacher, activist, and Portuguese-language writer of the Potiguara people. Quotes interview with Agencia Brasil (2024) translated from the Portuguese into English here Brazil's roots are indigenous, and it's vital for Brazilians to embrace and acknowledge their ancestral heritage. As an educator, I place my trust in positive changes, in the changing power of education that aligns more closely with reality. (Q: What factors have spurred the rise of these indigenous authors in recent decades?) EP: Firstly, [the need to free] the stifled voice of the indigenous population. By transforming indigenous thoughts in books, we find a channel for resistance and struggle. A channel through which we can publicize the situations we live in…Until recently, the didactic and literary material used in schools generally conformed to the reality of the colonizer. Today, despite all the problems, we have a law that makes the study of indigenous and Afro-Brazilian history and cultures compulsory and an education that, in some way, includes indigenous peoples. Interview with Cultural Survival Enterprises The most important need for indigenous peoples is organization. Many people in Brazil were once torn away from their communities, and they later suffered much discrimination trying to recover their loss. For example, we spend most of our lives trying to reaffirm that we are Indians, and then we encounter statements like, "But you wear jeans, a watch, sneakers, and speak Portuguese!" The society as a whole is very discriminatory, and this is learned in school through what's taught in Brazilian history. Society either understands Indians all made-up and naked inside the forest or consigns them to the border of big cities. The slogan of a campaign we are taking to the United Nations is "The Potiguara people are hanging by a thread. Help!" Our situation is an emergency. If we don't fight now, we will soon have no land, no culture, no traditions, and we don't want that! The Potiguara indigenous movement focuses 100 percent on preserving Potiguara land and the people's culture, traditions, spirituality, language, and costumes. Our people went through a very strong deculturization process, and I can't ignore the fact that the largest destroyers of our land and culture were very paternalistic ideologists like the "cross and sword." Today, the Potiguara people do not have a "patron." Our people stand up for themselves. After becoming aware that our people had gone through a deculturization process, we decided to fight for our own history. Now, when other groups want to work with us, it should be on a democratic, equal-to-equal basis, where we all sit around a table to discuss what would be best for our future and in what way they could help us. We're in need of legal and technical assistance, but we can do without paternalism. The paternalistic way left deep marks in some indigenous nations that became accustomed to receiving things ready-made instead of working and fighting for them. This philosophy is over. It's necessary for indigenous groups to work, produce, and develop themselves in a sustainable way - economically, socially, and politically. I call this indigenous autonomy, and it can only become real if the process begins inside our own communities. Groups that wish to support us should approach us with a conception of equality and respect…Indians are beginning to realize that they have to trace their own path by taking their destiny in their own hands. In 10 years we'll be harvesting what is planted today. Most indigenous people this year are protesting against the 500 years of colonization. They recognize the effects of these 500 years in their lives. This is a moment for reflection. Five hundred years of history, and the Potiguara people are still alive. This shows that the people have resisted, despite the difficulties. 1993 will also be an important year for indigenous people because the "Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People" will be published. Quotes about External links Official website Instagram page Goodreads page Category:Living people Category:1950 births