Deborah Pataxó: meet an indigenous influencer who talks about neuroatypicality

Carol Veras – From Cenarium

MANAUS (AM) – Known on social media as “Alecrim Baiano”, Deborah Pataxó, 29, is an indigenous woman, lesbian, autistic and activist for the food sovereignty of indigenous peoples and the human right to adequate food. With Law and Culinary degrees, she is originally from Alcobaça, a town on the coast of Bahia and indigenous territory.

Deborah liked to share recipes from her own culture on social media and the publications took on an unexpected proportion, generating her more than 16,000 followers on Instagram. Her latest video on social media has reached 35,000 views. In addition to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the young indigenous woman lives with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Her diagnosis of ASD came at the age of 27, when she was growing up on the web. It was then that she decided to share her discovery process with her followers.

“I wanted to talk about it in a responsible way, so I said that if I’m going to make the decision to talk about it, I’m going to study it, I’m going to understand it better so that I can talk about it properly. And from then on, I began to act more concisely in ASD activism”, she told CENARIUM.

The activist also highlighted the stigmas attributed to people diagnosed with ASD at support level 1. Even though it is considered a “mild” level, there is still a need for external support. According to Deborah, it’s important for neurotypical people to understand the boundaries of the person with ASD.

“So, for example, if you’re a person who doesn’t like physical contact, verbalize it! People need to be reassured by the fact that that person doesn’t want to be touched, doesn’t want to talk at that particular moment and impose these limits and make the other person understand that you have these boundaries and that this doesn’t make you a rude person”, she said.

Hate speech

Reflecting on her many representations, Deborah says that she has also been the target of hate speech on the internet, but emphasizes the receptiveness of the community she has built up on the networks. “People can be very bad and the internet kind of provides a shield for these people, but I believe that today I have built a very solid and sensible community”, she said.

Deborah was in Manaus to give the talk ‘ASD and diversity: indigenous and LGBTQIAP+ aspects of autism’ at the international conference ‘The Behavior Web’, which is taking place at the Intercity Hotel, in the Cachoeirinha neighborhood. At the event, the indigenous woman told her story and shared her personal experience representing the indigenous, LGBTQIAPN+ and neuroatypical communities.

Support in Amazonas

Ronaldo Seixas, the State Coordinator for the Health of Indigenous Peoples, told CENARIUM that there is still no data on the incidence of ASD among indigenous peoples in the state of Amazonas, but that there are support units distributed throughout the territory.

Also according to Seixas, the Amazonas State Health Department (SES-AM) is planning specific strategies for indigenous people who have the diagnosis.

“There are ten health support units spread throughout the indigenous territories, seven located within Amazonas and three located in neighboring states, but which also serve the territory of Amazonas. These units are integrated with psychologists and psychiatrists to assist this indigenous population that needs special attention”, says the coordinator.

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Edited by Adrisa De Góes
Translated by Bruno Sena