Migrants To Amazonia by Judith Lisansky

Author:Judith Lisansky [Lisansky, Judith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780367164188
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 2021-04-30T00:00:00+00:00

5

Peons and Merchants

Introduction

This chapter examines the other two categories of the folk tripartate division of people into farmers, peons, and merchants. It focuses on the two other main livelihood alternatives available in the frontier: wage labor at the cattle fazendas of northern Mato Grosso and commercial activity.

As explained previously, the majority of Santa Terezinha residents, both old-timers and new arrivals, identify themselves as small farmers although many were not actually engaged in farming. For a number of residents, the key issue was access to land. One Santa Terezinha woman explained, "Those who have no land must, of necessity, work for others. We live hunting a job that will provide more money." Another newly arrived former farmer asserted:

We came to Santa Terezinha because we didn't have a place of our own, and now we really don't have a place! Sure we'd like to have land. Of course we want land. We want it but we don't have any money to buy any. ... I would prefer the sertão (backlands) because one would have land to work, to put in a field and arrange one's life. But we don't have land, so here we stay.

Many former farmers end up working for the cattle ranches, usually as peons on work crews for gatos.1 Most people perceive this kind of work as less a choice than as a last resort for desperate people. For example, another former farmer explained:

We live running from one cattle fazenda to another, and they do with us what they want. We are working for free! I'm unable to find any way out of this fix. I have no resources. If only I had a plot of land and could arrange a bank to help finance my agriculture, I would plant coffee, corn, beans, and soy beans. But I have nothing and live under five palm fronds, without pleasure in life, without resources. Everything is too expensive and my money disappears.

Within this context, many attempt to use commerce as a third alternative and possible escape from transience and poverty. Tiny business enterprises from kiosks, which sell cafezinhos2 and cachaça, to store fronts with one plank and a pile of tinned goods abound in Santa Terezinha. To become a successful or "strong" merchant is a frequently mentioned aspiration.

This chapter is divided into two sections, each dealing with a livelihood option. It completes the picture of the three main kinds of work available in the frontier. Variations in economic strategies and other survival techniques—such as diversification, intensification, and mutual aid—will be explored in Chapter 6.

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