Concerning migrations and stigmas: Camba-Chiquitano Indians at the border between Brazil and Bolivia, second half of the 20th century

Abstract

Everyone who studies the history of the Chiquitano, particularly in the 20th century, agrees that the passing of the Santa Cruz de la Sierra-Corumbá railroad through Chiquitania, in the Bolivian East, caused a strong impact on the Indian and non-Indians population in the region, also called “low lands”. In the case of the Kamba, this impact meant that many of them who used to live in Roboré, Tapera and San Jose de Chiquitos moved to Brazil in the middle of the last century. Thus, the building of the ferrocarril (1939-1954) involved a great number of Bolivian Indians, many of whom entered the Brazilian territory in a clandestine way according to the official view. Among the reasons presented by Indians who were interviewed concerning the migration from Bolivia to Brazil, two stand out: (i) the Kamba pioneers took advantage of the “descent” to Corumbá as workers of the railroad and settled in the city; (ii) after this initial migration, other Indians moved, called by their near and far relatives who already lived on the Brazilian side. The article off ers information about the construction of the Brazil-Bolivia railroad, as well the impacts that it had on the lives of the indigenous people who lived in the Chiquitania, especially on the Chiquitano (and the stigmas imposed on them). Although the railroad was the most important means of migration, it was not the only one used by the Kamba to get to the Brazilian side of the border.

Key words: indigenous territory, Ofaié, violence, Mato Grosso do Sul.