“Comida é vida”: saberes e sabores que navegam da região do Alto Rio Negro para o entorno de Manaus, AM

Abstract

This research intends to navigate through knowledges and flavors, carrying affection, know-how, and family. It had as its main goal to understand the ways of living and being of Indigenous people of the top of the Negro River living in Manaus’ surroundings, having as starting point their ancestral food. Ancestral food is understood according to the perception of three Indigenous authors, Miguel Dessano (2023), Iberê (2020) and Tavares (2019). Building the research required bibliographies and fieldwork. Procedures utilized for fieldwork were oral narratives, semi-structured interviews, field journals, photographic records, and videos on the preparation, techniques, and recipes of traditional indigenous foods. Fieldwork was conducted in Amazonas and lasted from December 2021 to February 2023. The interlocutors are two families and leaders of the Acural and Nossa Senhora do Livramento communities. Another procedure used was a QR code to birth the Rádio indígena: Descendo o Rio Negro e amarrando a canoa na cidade grande (translates to “Indigenous radio: descending the Negro river and tying the canoe at the big city). The media’s usage arose from narratives regarding the interlocutors’ moving to the capital, Manaus. This investigation evinces knowledges and flavors of the indigenous culinary, utensils, flour house, and farm. Also, the preparation and techniques of traditional Indigenous food, as well as memories of the recipes, considered that they tell trajectories, oralities, and know-how.