CULTURAL HERITAGE AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE: SOME REFLEXIONS ABOUT INDIGENOUS RIGHTS IN BRAZIL / PATRIMÔNIO CULTURAL E CONHECIMENTO TRADICIONAL: ALGUMAS REFLEXÕES SOBRE OS DIREITOS INDÍGENAS NO BRASIL

Abstract

This paper proposes to analyze the laws that govern the protection of indigenous cultural heritage in Brazil, in the light of some theoretical reflections that help to understand the complex relationships involving the rights of native peoples with aspects of capitalist development, in a country with serious problems of social inequalities and ethnic persecution, especially by conservative federal governments. Therefore, we propose here a contribution to the debate, at a time when the indigenous peoples of Brazil are undergoing strong repression by the federal government and, consequently, the rich cultural heritage of the dozens of indigenous ethnic groups that inhabit the national territory is being put at risk.