Weaving the tupé: a study on environmental perception and interpretation in a sustainable development area Tupé, Manaus-AM, Brazil

Abstract

In the Amazon, in addition to a landscape rich in biodiversity, there is the richness of knowledge of the peoples who live in and interact with this landscape by making their living out of it. The current work aims at highlighting the values and the viewpoints of those who dwell in the referred environment. It is developed by means of a case study which is based on the life of the inhabitants of a Sustainable Development Area (Tupé) located in western Manaus, Brazil. Our theoretical basis is supported by environmental and geographical perception studies oriented towards a humanistic point of view. The investigation path to be followed is in accordance with the qualitative research approach which includes strategies such as fieldwork, active observation and semi-structured interviews. The reports reveal that the Tupé dwellers have a bond with the landscape: the contact with nature, the movement of the rivers, the forest, the countryside symbols, fishing, silence, celebrations and infrastructural problems. Those material and symbolic dimensions are essential for the understanding of the place.