Mining and (in) Indigenous Lands: reflections from the Upper Negro River

Abstract

This article builds some ethnographic narratives about mining in the upper Rio Negro, northwestern Amazon, from the plurality of actors (indigenous, prospectors, companies, military, indigenous, governing body, legislators, etc.), instruments or artifacts (minerals, letters , laws, bills, scientific data, prospecting data, tools, dredges etc.) and relations (“powers”, consensus, dissent, co-optation etc.) that are put on the scene. The movement made by the text leads the reader, through recent events and episodes, to a scenario in which, since at least the 1970s, the indigenous (as well as non-indigenous) of the upper Rio Negro have been faced with mining and gold mining. However, the narrative is not restricted to the regional context, often making connections between events and decisions made at the national level. The main objective is to show how the accumulation of experiences as well as different perspectives and aspirations regarding mining activity are constantly updated by the upper Negro River Indians in local and supralocal relations.