Voces ribereñas y la realidad de un ser mítico: la Leyenda del Boto en el contexto de Igarapé-Miri, en la Amazonia paraense

Abstract

This paper aims to carry out a reading of the Legend of the Boto (Legend of the Red Amazonian Bufeo), based on the collective imagination of Igarapé-Miri, a riverside town located in the Amazonian interior of Pará. We take into account that the Boto is one of the most outstanding characters of the oral tradition of the region, trying to understand how this natural supernatural being (LOUREIRO, 2015) is part of the everyday life of the people who inhabit the riverbanks, while reflecting on the role played by the myth in the context in question. To this end, a literature review was carried out and, at the same time, fieldwork was conducted to broaden and deepen theoretical knowledge about the legend and all that it entails. The latter through free (SEVERINO, 2016), informal and spontaneous conversations (MAGÁN, 2010), so that we were able to harvest the desired information in a friendly and enthusiastic way, essential for the elaboration of this work. The research is supported by authors such as Krenak (2022), Araújo (2022), Farias (2021), Colombres (2016), Chávez (2017), Portocarrero (2016), Magán (2008; 2010), Cascudo (2008; 2010), Barbosa Rodrigues (1881), among others. The results show that the popular Boto merges and blends with reality, while at the same time assuming a highly relevant role in the everyday life of the locals. Thus, there is little doubt about the existence of this mythicalbeing.