The strength and audacity of the typical Amazonian woman

Priscilla Peixoto – From Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – Whether the work to be done is large or small, it matters little to Marina de Lima, 84, a native of the community of Santa Luzia, in Anori, Amazonas. After all, the Amazonian does not deny work and is always ready for the service.

Time goes by and Dona Marina doesn’t understand what this “fragile sex” means – a term popularly used to refer to women. She will continue to perform so many arduous tasks in her daily life and, when she realizes, she will have lived in a world where nothing is impossible. Wanting is power!

When asked if she is part of the “fragile sex”, with a somewhat suspicious look Dona Marina replies: “I don’t even know what that is”. The truth is that, of fragile sex, Marina has nothing. Even with its 1.50m in height, the typical Amazonian cabocla is a great woman.

Defiance

We don’t know if it is out of necessity or audacity, the fact is that Dona Marina is always ready for work.

To bring home the daily bread, her husband André often took the road and spent six months away from home in the syringe, jute, and dusting factories. And the tasks of taking care of the children and dealing with the livelihood of the house were under the responsibility of Marina, who never knew how to separate the world into tasks of men or women.

“If it needs to be done, it will be done!” Is the phrase that Marina, at the height of 84 years old, uses to translate what she considers to be a challenge. For her, climbing a tree to harvest and carrying a tambourine with 50 kilos of mandioca are common tasks.

The activities considered of “strong sex”, such as climbing a 10 meter high açaí, use shotgun, fishing with a bow and arrow and so many others, are naturally carried out by so many caboclas from the immense Amazon, such as Dona Marina.

Women like Dona Marina are often unaware of the strength they carry. Whether by necessity or by the purity of simply being who is, live Marina! Long live all the Marinas! Long live the unique women of this universe that is the Brazilian Amazon.