National Identity and its impacts on Kaingang memories

resistance and denaturalization in Western Santa Catarina

Abstract

This article problematizes the formation of Brazilian national identity, analyzes how it impacts Kaingang memories, highlights processes of silencing and resistance, and emphasizes the need to denaturalize prejudiced practices in western Santa Catarina. Through a historiographical approach and listening to Indigenous voices, it demonstrates how the construction of the idea of nation was marked by processes of cultural homogenization that rendered ethnic differences invisible and relegated Indigenous peoples to secondary or folklorized roles. In this context, it analyzes the persistence of stereotypes, cultural erasure, and subtle forms of exclusion in the present time, often disguised under discourses of integration and progress. The text articulates theory and practice through dialogue with reference authors and everyday evidence, highlighting Kaingang resistance strategies in defending their territories, strengthening their language, and preserving their ancestral culture. It is concluded that respect for diversity and overcoming prejudice require a critical historical understanding, as well as the denaturalization of Eurocentric thoughts and practices that still structure Brazilian society.