Etymology of puxirão of caboclos in Western Paraná

Abstract

This article aims to present the theoretical and methodological support in understanding the puxirão of caboclos in the interior of the State of Paraná – Brazil in the mid-twentieth century. The interpretive basis is based on the historiographic current called new cultural history from Lynn Hunt, Carlo Ginzburg and Roger Chartier – authors who are dedicated to approaching culture in history. The micro-history stands out, in the sense of entering into the relationships between the historical subjects who practiced the puxirão, and the dialogue with macro events, relating the particularities with the structures of that context. Then, the problematization of approaches about the etymology and meanings of the term puxirão and its variants, descriptions and nominations of collective practices - from the indigenous people, recorded during the colonial period, to investigations and observations close to the context of collective caboclo organizations in the State of Paraná.