QUILOMBO HISTORY AND MEMORY: ROOTS, REPORTS OF RAMAL DE QUINDIUA COMMUNITY IN BEQUIMÃO/MA telling a story from the knowledge of the elders of Ramal de Quindiua community of Bequimão / MA

Abstract

The current investigation uses oral history to analyze the development process of the quilombola community named Ramal de Quindiua, in the town of Bequimão, State of Maranhão. From the contact with them, we realized that most of inhabitants know a little about their own roots and only the elders still report fragments of stories told by their ancestors. It emphasizes the economic, cultural and religious aspects of the community in question, maintained in a collective and cooperative way. The applied methodology was grounded by oral reports, which helped to recall and thus record, in this paper, the history of its formation. We conclude that memory and identity are important elements for the sojourn of quilombola people in their communities. For this reason, the strengthening of Ramal de Quindiua´s collective memory, through the recording of its history, reinforces the feelings of ethnic belonging and contributes to the recognition and appreciation of its socio-cultural roots.