The memory of forest peoples is an effective obstacle to land swindling in Amazonia. Two main reasons exist for this. Firstly (what is most of the time) oral memory reveals the underground history of falsely appropriated territories and exposes the construction of the official version found in documents, the product of the alchemy of the forums and registry offices. Secondly the social memory of these groups - built on the past but renewed in the present - legitimizes the local social order. Eroding their memory represents a significant boost to the success of the expropriations practiced by land swindlers.
Traditionally occupied territories; Traditional peoples and communities; Memory; Land swindling; Montanha; Mangabal
