The meaning of work for people kaingáng: Crossing work in the various dimensions of life

Abstract

This article discusses the category of work linked to the various dimensions of social life in the context of native peoples: Kaingáng together with the process of reclaiming territory in the National Forest of Canela/RS. This research proposal has a qualitative bibliographic approach. We used the narrative interview as an instrument for data collection and, as a theoretical contribution, the contributions of Veiga (2004), Laroque (2005), Brighetti (2012), Brigmann (2015), Schütze (2014), Santos (2019), Marechal (2021) among others, in addition to data obtained from the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBIO). The results point to the meaning of work in leadership practices under the prerogatives of the political dimension; the meaning of work in the making and commercialization of handicrafts in the valorization of ancestry and culture; and, work as an educational principle crossed in the societal life.