The Oronao’: A Story of Disease and Resistance

In this study on Os OroNao’: a history of illness and resistance based on the records of the SPI - 9th I. R., Guajará-Mirim (1940-1970), the situations of illness, death and resistance experienced by the Wari’ Indigenous Peoples, in particular the OroNao’ and OroNao’ subgroups of the whites, in the process of inter-ethnic contact with non-Indians, in the Guaporé Territory, Ricardo Franco Post, in the years 1956 and 1961. This is historical and bibliographical research with a qualitative approach, using the Oral History method, and its object of study is the consequences of contact between these indigenous subgroups and non-indigenous people at the attraction posts. The objectives are to relate, describe and report on the types of diseases that contact brought to the indigenous people, the resistance expressed by them and the situations of death resulting from contact and disease. The discussion is based on the concept of interethnic friction developed by Oliveira, which shows the implications of contact for ethnic identity, as well as diseases, death and resistance as a result of the interethnic relations of the Wari’ indigenous people.