A dança da suça: identidade no quilombo de Chapada de Natividade – Tocantins (1988-2023)

Abstract

The main focus of this research is the study of the suça dance in the remaining quilombo community of Chapada da Natividade, in Tocantins. The "suça" is a dance present in traditional communities in Tocantins, such as Lajeado, Dianópolis, Natividade, Paranã, among others, which refers to the legacies of the gold exploration period, to the memories and collective experiences, transmitted from generation to generation. Its main objective is to investigate the contribution of suça in the cultural preservation of the community and its relationship with quilombola education and identity, through the reading of the representations of its practitioners in the community of Chapada da Natividade – Tocantins, in the aforementioned period of 1988, with the promulgation of the Brazilian Constitution, and in 2023 due to the moment of public policies aimed at the manifestations of traditional culture. Based on the studies of historiography on the dance of the suça, observed in Mari de Nasaré Baiocchi (1999), Wolfgang Teske (2008), Everton dos Andes (2008), Wendy Almeida de Araújo (2013), Eloísa Marques Rosa (2015), among others. The research broadened its approach in the relationship with the quilombola identity and the representations of its practitioners through the methodology of Oral History, having as a theoretical basis the considerations of Verena Alberti (2005). The narratives, among other information, made it possible to bring together the experiences of residents and practitioners of the suça tradition, its preservation and appreciation as a cultural heritage present in the community studied, having as a theoretical basis, the contributions of Roger Chartier (1990), with a focus on representations; the approach to collective memory from Maurice Halbwachs (2004), the relationship between dance and cultural identity, with regard to the reading of Stuart Hall (2000), and the exercise of orality and listening, from Alessandro Portelli (1996). Finally, as a final product of the study, we present the production of didactic on the suça, for the use of teachers in teaching activities as a tangible way to preserve and strengthen this cultural manifestation with future generations, its circulation and dissemination in schools of quilombola and non-quilombola communities.