Vivências com o Rio Tocantins: memórias de pescadores e pescadores da região de Tocantinópolis-TO

Abstract

This work aims to know the memories of fishermen and fisherwomen who act in the Tocantins River, understanding their life trajectories and the relationships and meanings established in their experiences with the fishing craft. This study uses a qualitative approach focused on the methodology of Oral History. Due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic of the new coronavirus Sars-Cov-2, methodological adaptations were necessary to carry out the research, and occurred through digital communication applications such as whatsapp and google Mmeet. Following the methodology of Oral History, the scripts were built to obtain information that would help in understanding the importance of fishing in the Tocantins River, the different meanings and representations that this activity acquires in the memories of fishermen and fisherwomen, and, consequently, the different identities that are built around and with the Tocantins River. For these analyses, the perspective of Cultural History and the History of Present Time were used as theoretical input. Five interviews with fishermen who work in the region of Tocantinópolis and are linked to Colônia de Pescadores Z-7 are analyzed. The study made it possible to understand that the fishing profession is still apprehended in childhood, usually with family members, being a learning passed from generation to generation. In addition, it was found that parents are not interested in encouraging their children to follow the same profession, highlighting that fishing has become a very difficult form of survival, not being their desire for life for their children. This change in the fishing life in Tocantinópolis is attributed to the construction of the Hydroelectric in Estreito- MA which caused changes in the natural cycles of the waters of Rio, leading to fish shortages and causing a very large impact on income generation and the lives of fishermen and fisherwomen. This study aims to contribute to the construction and preservation of the memory of Tocantinópolis, in particular, for reflections on the importance of the Tocantins River for those who live in its surroundings and for the valorization of the memories and actions of the fishermen and fisherwomen of the region researched.