A índia, o santo e as almas: narrativas sobre a cidade de São Vicente (RN)

Abstract

From the analysis of the narratives about the history of the city of Saint Vincent, municipality of Seridó norte-rio-grandense, the research proposes to understand the different versions about the historical events of the Serra de Santana. The presence of indigenous people in the region is attested by archaeological evidence, remembered by the legend of the foundation of the city that has the protagonist of India Luíza, as well as the evocation of supernatural beings in the local topography that carries the marks of past events. Another character appears in the oral versions of the local history, Saint Vincent, patron saint of the city. In the narratives, India is replaced by Saint Vincent in a project devised by the settlers, in a symbolic contest of memories where the Indians are once again placed on the margins of history. Thus, the construction of local history based on the memory of the Saints is revealed through the reading of the different versions of the city where the Indians are cited, the archaeological finds, the "souls" and the supernatural phenomena that constitute a reinterpretation native to the historical events.