“Deixe-me viver, deixe-me falar, deixe-me crescer, deixe-me organizar”: trajetória imemorial do uso de terras comunais, institucionalização e o caso da comunidade de fundo de pasto Monte Alegre – Monte Santo (BA)

Abstract

Rural communities make a collective use of the lands in areas without fencing, which are usually used to the extensive farming of sheep and goat cattle. They are the residents’ major source of income in these communities as well as extractivism and beneficiation of fruits (umbu, licuri wild passion fruit etc.). These areas are located especially in Caatinga biome. Their immemorial origin is related to the occupation of Bahian countryside, initially, to the extensive breeding of cattle, in 16th century, from the concession of huge land grants to D’Ávila (Casa da Torre) and Guedes de Brito (Casa da Ponte) families. Monte Santo is one of the cities that has more collectively used places in Bahia, with around 40 identified areas. The territory of collectively used lands transcends the limits among communities and cities since its open borders allow animals to graze freely and take with them their owners. This work aims to analyze the immemorial trajectory of the common lands usage, the institutionalization and the case of the community of fundo de pasto Monte Alegre, in Monte Santo (BA). Monte Alegre is integrated to this immemorial context and struggles since 1980’s to reverse a judicial sentence whose decision granted to a relative the “legal” domain over the areas collectively used by the resident. In the 1980’s, this modality of using the areas faced a process of institutionalization undertaken by the government of Bahia and, from this process, the lands begin to be identified as “fundo de pasto” to the detriment of local and regional names as “bode solto”, “luta pela solta”, “terra livre”. The research has the theoretical perspective of Social History because it brings as protagonist the history of “ordinary people”. The daily life of Monte Alegre residents articulates itself on behalf of the land rights, the maintenance of their territory and the right of production and reproduction of their culture. Community was, along the years, constantly threatened by the action of the mentioned relative and, more recently, by the action of a mining company. Monte Alegre still reaffirms its immemorial right the collectively used lands and through a network built with social movements, agro-pastoral association, regional central and state articulation it has mutually defended itself from these agents, which disrespect its way of living and its existence.