Estrutura rodoviária e o transporte das comunidades A’uwẽ Xavante da Terra Indígena São Marcos - MT

Abstract

This final project focuses on the road infrastructure and transportation of the A’uwẽ Xavante communities located in the São Marcos Indigenous Land, in the municipality of Barra do Garças, Mato Grosso. The research analyzes how the lack of effective public policies, the precariousness of local roads, and the lack of public transportation compromise the right to mobility of indigenous peoples. These communities face great difficulties in accessing the hub city of Barra do Garças, where health, education, commerce, and institutional support services are concentrated. Due to the lack of regular transportation, indigenous people resort to paying expensive freight or using their own vehicles or those of family members, sharing the costs, which generates recurring expenses for already vulnerable populations. The study is based on bibliographic and documentary analysis, drawing on authors such as Santos (1996), Dias (2000), Bucci (2002), Silvestri (2019, 2023), Noleto (2022), and data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The findings reveal that the poor state of road infrastructure not only hinders mobility but also deepens historical inequalities and undermines the exercise of citizenship, directly impacting access to basic rights and the cultural, social, and economic dynamics of the villages. The research proposes the development of public transportation policies that include listening to indigenous communities and respecting their ways of life, territoriality, and sociocultural specificities. Thus, the study reaffirms the importance of recognizing road infrastructure and public transport as fundamental rights to be equitably ensured for all populations.