NOTES ON THE BAGUAL¹: CATTLE RAISING, HUNTING AND CONSERVATION IN THE BRAZILIAN PANTANAL

NOTAS SOBRE O BAGUAL: PECUÁRIA, CAÇA E CONSERVAÇÃO NO PANTANAL BRASILEIRO

Pantaneiro² cattle have many facets. Firstly, they are the object or the product of the main economic activity of the region; secondly, they are a key element in the ecological dynamics of the flood plains of the Pantanal; and finally, they are the subject of unique cultural practices and experiences. The articulation of these three modes of existence is discussed in this article, based on an ethnography carried out on farms in the southern Pantanal region. The proposal is to reflect on the Pantanal concept of bagual and the way it relates to the dichotomies of tame and feral, traditional and modern.

Keywords:
ethnoecology; multispecies; Pantanal; animal husbandry; bagual