Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

O ciclo do gado no Nordeste do Brasil: uma cultura da violência?

1979; Volume: 7; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

2526-9372

Frederico Pernambucano de Mello,

Social and Economic Solidarity

RESUMO Diferentemente do que ocorreu com o homem do ciclo economico da cana-de-acucar, desde cedo controlado por um processo normativo de trabalho em que a hierarquizacao se impunha fortemente ante o carater massificado das tarefas profissionais, o homem do ciclo do gado, cumprindo tarefas irredutiveis a massificacao, conservou e desenvolveu a extremos os tracos primitivos do individualismo, da sobranceria, do livre arbitrio e da improviscao, caracteristicas que, diante da emergencia de estimulos nao raro de pouca monta, desaguavam em aventureirismo e num acentuado gosto pelas solucoes violentas de carater pessoal ou familiar. A exarcebacao dos conceitos de honra e propriedade, o nomadismo, ao lado do culto da coragem e de uma desconfianca “a priori”, sao ainda fatores que caracterizam o homem pecuario do Nordeste do Brasil. A dificuldade de penetracao da area sertaneja e o isolamento em que permaneceriam os seus colonizadores por seculos foram fatores responsaveis pela formacao e conservacao ate decadas atras de uma uma tradicao cultural onde a violencia tinha livre curso, sendo mesmo aplaudida e estimulada pelo sentido epico que nela se contem. Inumeras figuras deram vida a essa violencia que, de necessaria a vitoria do empreendimento colonizador e, como tal, legitima nos primeiros momentos dessa colonizacao, passa a ser, com a afirmacao crescente da ordem publica, necessariamente malsinada e coibida. O valentao, o cabra, o capanga, o jagunco, o pistoleiro e o cangaceiro sao essas figuras principais. Ainda que como fenomeno o cangaceiro apresente tracos comuns que o aproximam de ocorrencias semelhantes verificadas em quase todos os continentes, em diferentes periodos da historia, no Nordeste do Brasil e particularmente na area seca em que se desenvolveu o ciclo pecuario ele assume feicoes de verdadeira convulsao social, estimulado por uma cultura profundamente tolerante para com a violencia. A sociedade sertaneja so se voltava contra o banditismo quando ele evoluia do estado cronico ou endemico para o estado agudo ou epidemico, o que aconteceu algumas vezes. Fora desses casos a atitude da sociedade sertaneja era de tolerância e mesmo de estimulo e apoio ao fenomeno. ABSTRACT Cattle cycle in the Northeast of Brazil. v.7, n. 2, p. 263-306, jul./dez. 1979. In a different way that happened to the man of the sugar-cane economic cycle soon controlled by a normative process of work where the hierarchization was strongly imposed before the crowd character of the professional tasks, the man of the cattle cycle, undertaking tasks, that did not have crowd character, he preserved and developed very well the primitive traits of individualism, of haughtiness, of the free will and the improvisation. These characteristics due to many stimulus, caused this way, the adventurism and the marked preference by the violent solutions of personal or family character. The exaggeration of the concepts of honour and property, the nomadism, by the side of the cult of courage and of a mistrust “at first”, are still factors that characterized the cattle raising man of the Northeast of Brazil. The difficulty of penetration of the country area and the isolation where its colonizers would be kept during centuries, were the responsible factors for the formation and preservation until ten years ago, of a cultural tradition where the violence freely took its course, being approved and stimulated by the epic sens that it has. Several people stimulated this violence, which being necessary to the victory of the colonizer´s undertaking, and this way a legitime behavior in the first moments of this colonization, becomes, with the crescent affirmation of the public command, necessarily denounced and restrained. The braggart, the mestizo, the bodyguard, the “jagunco” (Antonio Conselheiro´s follower in Canudos Campaign) the contracted killer, the brigand of the Northeast Brazil, all of them are the main representatives of the violence. Since that, as a phenomenon, the living of the brigands in Northeast Brazil presents common traits, that make them similar to other events in almost all the continents, in different eras of history, in the Northeast of Brazil and particularly in the drought areas where the cattle raising cycle was developed, the living of the brigands in Northeast Brazil takes the aspect of a true social convulsion, stimulated by a epic tolerant culture, with the violence. The country society was only turned to the banditry when this way of living developed from the chronic state to the epidemic state, and that fact happenend sometimes. With exception of these cases, the country society had an attitude of tolerance, stimulus and protection to the phenomenon. RESUME Le cycle du betail dans la region Nordeste du Bresil: une culture de violence? v.7, n.2, p.263-306, jul./dez. 1979. Au contraire de ce qui est arrive a l’homme, le cycle economique de la canne a sucre, des le debut controle par un procede de travail normatif dont la hierachie s’imposait fortement devant le caractere massifiant des tâches profissionelles, l’homme du cycle du betail, executant des tâches irreductibles a la massification, a conserve et developpe a l’exces, les aspects primitifs de l’individualisme, de l’arrogance, du libre arbitre et de l’improvisation, caracteristiques qui, devant l’emergence de stimulus tres souvent de peu importance, debordaient en aventures et en un gout exarcebe pour les solutions violentes de caractere personnel ou familial. L’exarcebation des concepts d’une mefiance “a priori”, sont encore, des facteurs qui caracterisent l’eleveur du Nordeste bresilien. La difficulte de penetration dans l’interieur du pays, et l’isolement dans lequel les colonisateurs sont restes pendant des siecles, ont ete les facteurs responsables par la formation, et conservation pendant des annees, d’une tradition culturelle, ou la violence avait libre cours, etant meme applaudie et stimulee par le sens epique qu’elle avait. De nombreux personages ont stimule cette violence qui etait necessaire a la victoire de l’entreprise colonisatrice, et comme telle, un comportement legitime dans les premiers moments de cette colonisation, devient, avec affirmation croissante de l’ordre public, necessairement denoncee et reprimee. Le fanfaron, le “cabra”, le “capanga”, le “jagunco”, le mercenaire et le “cangaceiro” sont ces personnages principaux. Quoique le phenomene du “cagaceirisme” presente des traits communs qui le rapprochent d’occurences semblables verifiees en presque tous les continents, pendant differentes periodes de l’histoire, au Nordeste du Bresil et particulierement dans la region seche ou le cycle du betail s’est developpe, il prend l’air d’une vraie convulsion sociale, stimulee par une culture profondement tolerante a la violence. Les gens de l’interieur du pays se soulevaient contre le banditisme seulement quand il evoluait de l’etat chronique ou endemique, a l’etat aigue ou epidemique, ce qui est arrive quelquefois. Excepte ces cas, la position de la societe de l’interieur etait d’indulgence et meme de stimulation et d’appui au phenomene.