Hybrid identities: linguistic attitudes of the Guarani indians from Pinhalzinho, Paraná State, Brazil

Abstract

Foregrounded on the fact that identity is not ‘given at birth’ (HALL, 2006) but built day by day and continuously (BAUMAN, 2005), current paper argues that it is not correct to bind indigenous identity only to the indigenes’ knowledge or to use of indigenous languages or to cultural marks. The discourses examined in current paper indicate that identities are hybrid and crossbred and consequently indigenous identity may also be conveyed in Portuguese. Data and analyses from an ethnographic research (LÜDKE; ANDRÉ, 1986), based on a Master’s dissertation, between 2011 and2012, in the indigenous community of Pinhalzinho and Tomazina, Paraná State, Brazil, are forwarded. Results show that attitudes and representations that Guarany populations present on language, culture and indigenous identity are influenced by ideas that non-indigenous people have selected as defining criteria.