Visagens, mizuras, aparições: aspectos da ontologia ribeirinha na ilha Saracá, município de Limoeiro do Ajuru, estado do Pará

Abstract

The riverside people of Saracá Island, located in the municipality of Limoeiro do Ajuru, in the state of Pará, believe that the world they live in is also inhabited by non-human beings. These beings reveal themselves when they want to and appear in any form they choose because they have their own wills. In this thesis, I seek to understand the relationships established between these two sets of beings that inhabit the same island, use the same rivers, walk on the same ground, on the same leaves, see the same trees, and live intertwined “lives”. I base my analyses on a extensive amount of research material that reveals the existence of non-human beings (GALVÃO, 1955; MAUÉS, 1990; FIGUEIREDO, 2009; VAZ FILHO and CARVALHO, 2013), present in different Amazonian contexts and other parts of Brazil. The study was constructed following the methodological assumptions of the social sciences, particularly from anthropology, relying on autoethnography and ethnography. In this regard, I conducted structured interviews, direct and participant observations, as well as photographic records. The data suggest that Saracá Island is the abode of supernatural apparitions, mizuras, appearances, and other beings. Like us, they do as they please. Some are evil, some are good, and others' nature is unknown, as they simply appear without saying anything, and disappear just as they appeared. These narratives are important because their characters influence people's lives, shaping their decisions and affecting their daily routines. On the other hand, they are endowed with symbolic and moral meanings, suggesting the existence of a set of beings yet to be explored and revealing the intangible heritage of a traditional Amazonian community that shares similarities with others in the same region.