Gender and the Public Representation of Indigeneity in Native Amazonia: The Xavante of Central Brazil"
Laura R. Graham, University of Iowa
Through the lens of gender, this essay examines contemporary public displays of indigeneity among the Xavante of central Brazil. Pimentel Barbosa and Abelinha are two communities that differentially use gendered expressive forms and gender participation as part of distinct political projects that assert Xavante in national and international arenas. Their unique strategies create divergent gendered images of Xavante for outside audiences and result in differently gendered processes of self-reflexivity. These performances affect Xavante understandings of gender and gender relations in local communities and may affect opportunities for women's potential to participate in broader political processes. More broadly, consideration of gender politics in Xavante public displays suggests the need for careful and critical consideration of ways that Amazonian and Latin American indigeneity and indigenous social movements are publicly gendered.
