Experiências e memórias dos carnaubeiros de Campo Maior-PI (1930 -1975)

Abstract

This paper analyzes the experiences and memories of workers in the carnauba fields of Campo Maior-PI between 1960 and 1975, focusing on the impact of carnauba extraction on the local economy, society, and culture. The research explores the relationship between the carnauba economic cycle and the dynamics of labor, social inequalities, and peasant resistance, considering the importance of this activity in shaping the regional economy, especially during the peak of this practice in Piauí. The temporal scope is justified by the centrality of carnauba extraction during this period, when working conditions were directly related to land inequalities and the control of rural oligarchies. The methodology adopted is qualitative, using oral history, interviews with rural workers, and documentary and bibliographic analysis. Through this approach, it was possible to understand the experiences of the historical subjects who played a leading role in the extraction activity and the impacts of this practice on their lives, as well as the forms of resistance that emerged, such as the formation of the Liga Camponesa de Matinhos. Additionally, the paper reflects on how the resistance practices present in the actions of carnauba workers contributed to the organization of struggles in the field. It is concluded that the carnauba cycle in Campo Maior, although an economic engine for the region, also marked the social and economic exclusion of workers, who faced harsh conditions of exploitation. The memories of these workers, preserved through oral history, are essential for understanding the social and historical transformations that marked the municipality, highlighting the role of resistance practices, such as union organization, in confronting local oppression.