Indigenous People in the Brazilian Context: An Analysis of the Social Representations

This study aims to find out about the social representations of the indigenous peoples in Brazil, taking into consideration the images and meanings shared by the non-indigenous population. The findings are based on the application of the free association test and interviews with 38 participants. The material was submitted to an analysis of content supported by the theory of social representations, with the help of Atlas.ti software. The analysis presented 475 excerpts from narratives, grouped into categories: indigenous conceptions; origin of knowledge; relationship between indigenous peoples and society. The free association resulted in 190 evocations, classified into: distinct subject, subject with rights, excluded subject, and valued subject. The representations about the indigenous peoples are anchored in previous knowledge that places them in a condition of the primitive subject. The distancing of the population reinforces stereotypes that subjugate the indigenous peoples. Knowledge demystifies stereotypes, making the indigenous peoples respected in their own culture and, at the same time, recognized as a subject with rights, just like any other citizen.