Uma reflexão sobre as atividades econômicas realizadas pelas sócias da Associação das Mulheres Indígenas Tikuna (AMIT), na Comunidade Filadélfia, em Benjamin Constant-Amazonas

Abstract

The Third Sector and Associativism play an important role in the development of associations led by women, serving as a basis for them to defend their activities before society and win their rights in political and professional life. The present study had as a general objective to present the main reasons that influence the women of the Association of Indigenous Women Tikuna-AMIT, to carry out their handmade and agricultural economic activities in the community of Philadelphia, in the municipality of Benjamin Constant. The methodological procedures of the research are based on a qualitative approach, with descriptive objective. The data were obtained through bibliographic and documental survey, besides the field research that occurred through interviews with ten women members of AMIT. The participants were volunteers, live in the community and were willing to participate freely in the research. The results, in general, show that the members carry out their work by dividing their time between agricultural and handicraft activities and selling their products at the municipal fair and door to door. As reasons that influence them to carry out such activities, they consider the need to complement income, lack of employment options or even by tradition. We conclude that, even without having a higher level of education and with the challenges imposed by nature itself (drought and river flooding), the women of AMIT know how to correctly execute the production process of both handicraft and agricultural products, which shows the capacity of women to create their own strategies to produce and market their products, besides becoming examples of struggles and achievements