Emergent Ecologies
São Francisco do Paraguaçu and Santiago do Iguape Communities
Cachoeira, Santiago do Iguape, and São Francisco do Paraguaçu are all located in the northeastern portion of the Resex. These communities emerged from the establishment of old sugar mills on the banks of the bay, with larger numbers of enslaved laborers With the decline of the sugar trade these workers were abandoned in the region to fend for themselves. Both communities are recognized by the Palmares Foundation as quilombolas, and are fighting for the demarcation of their territories by INCRA. São Francisco do Paraguaçu is the last community on the road that connects the communities in the northern part of the Resex.
Canoes docked at the Port of Santiago do Iguape and the Mother Church in the background
Santiago do Iguape is the largest district in Cachoeira in terms of population density, with approximately 5,000 inhabitants today. Fishing and agriculture are the main activities of those who live there, with fish and crabs being the most commercially relevant species. The Association of Quilombola Women and Shellfish Gatherers of the Iguape Valley, which fights for the rights and better living conditions for women in the region, was responsible for recommending Thaiz Menezes as a field assistant for the research. Through her poetic writing, Thaiz presents us with stories of overcoming adversity and struggle in the lives of the shellfish gatherers of the Santiago do Iguape and São Francisco do Paraguaçu region.
Thaiz goes down to the mangrove, feet on the ground.
With her hands, she removes the sururu from the tide.
A little is enough to season.
In the boiling water, the flavor of the place,
in the silence of the mangrove, she finds herself.
Nature sings, it is her shadow!
Each shell is a dream, a prayer.
For a table full of gratitude!
Thaiz Menezes
Cage crab fishing and crab trapping
Currently, crab fishing is mainly done using traps, due to the greater quantity caught using this technique. However, this technique requires a canoe and the ability to steer it, which are techniques more common to the male fishing universe. However, Sueli has her own canoe, and fishes with traps in her community.
Sueli preparing the traps in the canoe
Sueli's routine starts early, often at dawn, when she prepares her crab cages, made from simple but effective materials, and places them in strategic locations in the river. These cages are equipped with carefully chosen bait and left submerged, waiting for the crabs to be caught overnight.
Cage fishing in Santiago do Iguape
The technique requires patience and a deep knowledge of the tides and the habits of the crabs. Working with crabs in traps is a time-consuming process, as Sueli has to wait for the right moment for the traps to fill up. She often faces challenges from weather conditions and changing tides. However, the wait is worth it when she returns to the site the next day, collecting a good catch, which is essential for the livelihood of her family and the community.
Over the years, Sueli has noticed changes in the tides. What was once predictable and stable is now more uncertain due to climate change and human interference, such as the construction of dams. These changes directly affect the work of the shellfish gatherers, requiring them to adapt their techniques and take greater care in their work. Despite these difficulties, Sueli remains steadfast in her work, demonstrating the skill and experience she has developed over the years. She remains dedicated to the craft that has been passed down to her for generations, keeping the tradition and livelihood of the local community alive.
Young shellfish gatherer, Sueli's niece, accompanies her aunt on cage fishing, preparing to leave the canoe
Shellfish gatherers picking crabs
Women who do not own and/or operate canoes work with “Siri de ganho.” The expression refers to a specific form of crab gathering. As the amount of crab caught in the cages is quite large, it is necessary to divide the work between those who fish and those who process the catch, so that the shellfish can be quickly stored. Thus, most women in this region who are involved in fishing have crab gathering as their main activity. They gather crabs caught by their husbands, fathers, and sons, or by other fishermen who fish for crabs in cages and pay them by the kilo. The introduction of cage technology has led to a division of labor that is mostly based on gender, with men fishing and women gathering, but these roles are not strictly defined and, as in Sueli's case, can be reversed.
Sururu Moqueca
Sururus and oysters caught in the mangrove
Sururu moqueca is a typical dish widely eaten by families in the region. Made with sururu, peppers, tomatoes, onions, coconut milk, and palm oil, the dish features local priduce and sururu which is the main species consumed by fishing families in the community.
Removing the sururu
The story of Maria Angélica - Gel is the story of many women in the region who, in making recipes such as Sururu Moqueca, carry on the ancestral knowledge and practices of their community's food and way of life.
From a young age, Maria Angélica learned from her mother and grandmother the art of collecting shellfish such as Sururu and oysters, an activity that requires skill and understanding of the tides and mangroves. Shellfish gathering in Santiago do Iguape is not only an economic activity but also a cultural tradition deeply rooted in the community. Shellfish gatherers like Maria Angélica play a crucial role in preserving this heritage, passing on knowledge and practices from generation to generation.
The work of Maria Angélica and other shellfish gatherers is arduous and often invisible. They face long days in the waters and mud of the mangroves, exposed to harsh conditions and without adequate recognition. Maria Angélica's story is an example of resilience and love for her land and culture. Her life dedicated to shellfish gathering is not only a story of survival, but also of preserving a tradition that is the essence of the Santiago do Iguape community.
Maria Angélica gathering sururu in the mangrove
Blanching oysters with Noca - Engenho da Praia community and gathering sururu with Selma, Uka, Mayane, and Jaqueline - Engenho da Ponte community
Shellfish gatherers bent over in the mangrove
Health of female shellfish gatherers
Shellfish gathering in the mangroves is hard work, requiring considerable physical effort, long hours submerged in cold water and mud, spending long periods of time in a bent position, and later engaging in repetitive movements to process the shellfish. All of this has serious consequences for the health of women shellfish gatherers, most of whom retire from working in the mangroves not because of their age, but because of damage to their bodies that prevents them from continuing. In many cases, they are unable to obtain disability retirement from the INSS due to lack of documentation, lack of information, and even legislative and institutional prejudice that has not considered artisanal fishing by women as a professional activity until 2009. And even today, they are still often treated with disrespect, prejudice, and disregard for their precarious working conditions
In addition to the need for a new means of survival, these women also need to reinvent their ties to the mangroves and shellfish, as this activity goes far beyond mere subsistence and is related to their identity, way of life, history, and emotional ties to the mangrove forest. The story of Dona Adenildes is one example among many stories of these women.
Memories of the Place
Memories bring joy to these women, reminding them of adventures and happy times they experienced in the mangroves with their friends and relatives. These memories also fuel their love for the mangrove forest—the setting for so much joy—and for shellfish gathering, which provided them with food and gave them the strength and courage to survive adversity. These stories also reveal the difficulties of a life with few financial resources and the violence of the world as experienced through social inequality, lack of access to opportunity, and the environmental degradation of their territories. Thus, the stories of Tia Calô and Antônia portray their love for the mangrove and the difficulties and joys of living in and from it.
Handicrafts made with seashells by Dona Adenildes
Dona Adenildes is a quilombola shellfish gatherer who began gathering shellfish with her mother when she was seven years old, the art of crab fishing and all the secrets of the trade. For years, she spent her nights casting her lines into the sea, pulling with precision the crabs that got tangled in them. It was hard work, but she did it with passion and dedication, supporting her family and feeding the community with the fruits of her labor.
However, as time went by, Adenildes began to feel something different in her body. The bone pain, which had previously appeared from time to time, became more frequent and intense. The repeated effort of casting the lines began to take its toll. The nights of rest were no longer enough to relieve the pain, and Adenildes realized that her journey at sea was coming to an end. Accepting this reality was one of the greatest challenges of her life. How could she leave the sea, which had always been her faithful companion?
But Adenildes was not someone who gave up easily. With the same strength and resilience that made her a great fisherwoman, she decided to reinvent herself. Remembering the old stories her grandmother used to tell, Adenildes began to devote herself to handicrafts. Her hands, once accustomed to fishing lines, now handled needles and embroidery threads with the same precision. She began to create beautiful embroidered pieces, shell dolls, and shell turtles, depicting scenes from the sea she loved so much. Although Adenildes could no longer fish for crabs as she once did, she discovered a new way to stay connected to the sea and her identity. She transformed pain into art, difficulty into a new opportunity, and thus her life story became an example of strength, adaptation, and love for her roots. And so, Adenildes Menezes continued to shine, showing that even in the face of adversity, it is possible to reinvent oneself and find new ways to live and love what defines us.
Tia Calô has always been a dedicated and determined woman. Born and raised in Santiago do Iguape, a small village on the banks of the Paraguaçu River, she grew up among the waters and mangroves, where shellfish was more than just a means of subsistence—it was part of the culture and identity of the place. From a very young age, Tia knew she wanted to do more for the people in her community. With a wealth of life experience, she decided to follow a different path: she became a teacher. The small community school did not have many resources, but that was never an obstacle for Tia. With a smile on her face and tireless strength, she taught the children and young people of the village everything she knew. The basics of reading and writing, math, and also the importance of their culture and roots. Her lessons went beyond the books — she talked about respect for nature, the tradition of shellfish gathering, and the simple but rich life that the mangroves provide.
For a few years, Tia dedicated herself to education, but she knew that the challenges facing the community went beyond the school walls. Living conditions were difficult, and many young people had to leave school to help their families with shellfish gathering or other heavy work. When she saw that her efforts in the classroom was no longer reaching as many people as she would have liked, Tia Calô made another bold decision: she decided to open a small business. The goal was simple—to sell products from her own land, mainly shellfish and other seafood that she and other women in the region collected. This business was more than a source of income; it became a meeting place and a source of strength for the local economy. The business grew, and Tia, with her vision, managed to attract customers from other regions. She encouraged other shellfish gatherers to sell their products there, creating a support network among the women of the community. In addition to shellfish, the shop offered fruits, vegetables, and other local products, all grown by the hard-working people of Santiago do Iguape. Today, Tia Calô is remembered as a woman of courage who taught as much as she could. Her legacy is much more than the business she created; it is the strength of a community that learned from her to value what it has and never give up, even in the face of adversity.
Santiago do Iguape Mother Church
Antônia is a woman of strength and determination. She was born and raised in Santiago do Iguape, where the tide is more than just a change in the water—it is the rhythm that dictates life.
Since she was a girl, she accompanied her father and mother, an experienced fisherman, on their trips to the mangroves, where she learned to catch shellfish and fish shrimp and workwith large nets. Over time, Antônia went to work outside the community due to the difficulty of finding employment. She ended up working in a family home until she had to return, pregnant with her first daughter, with plans to o raise her by gathering shellfish.
When the tide comes in, bringing with it the promise of a good catch, Antônia hurries, skillfully casting her large net into the water, knowing exactly where the shrimp hide and where the fish swim. However, the tide is not always constant. Sometimes, the floodgates of the Pedra do Cavalo dam are opened, releasing a large amount of fresh water that mixes with the sea water. This unexpected flow can disrupt fishing, dispersing the schools of fish and driving the shrimp to more difficult places to reach. This interference from the dam is an additional challenge that Antônia has to face. The volume of fresh water alters the balance of the environment, and fish, which are sensitive to these changes, become more difficult to catch. But Antônia, with her wisdom accumulated over the years, has learned to adapt. She knows that at times like these, fishing will require even more patience and strategy. She may need to wait a little longer, adjust the timing of when she casts her nets, or even look for other spots further away, where the dam's influence is less. Despite these obstacles, Antônia never lets herself get discouraged. Her connection with the tides and her deep knowledge of the secrets of the waters allow her to face even the most adverse conditions. And even when the dam interferes, she finds a way to ensure a livelihood, not only for herself, but also for her children. Antônia Ribeira remains a respected figure, not only for her skill, but also for the resilience with which she faces difficulties. Life in the village is marked by these challenges, but also by the strength of those who, like Antônia, never give up, keeping the tradition of artisanal fishing alive, even in times of change.
