Chief Pequena, leader of the Jenipapo Kanindé people, Ceará

Ethnobiography, protagonism and indigenous struggle

Abstract

This article, the result of ethnographic research with the Jenipapo Kanindé indigenous people, located in Aquiraz, Ceará state, aims to analyze the leadership trajectory of Chief Pequena and the historical protagonism of Indigenous women in the articulation of the Indigenous Movement. The investigation used biographical narratives and trajectory studies as central methodological tools, showing how Chief Pequena's actions constituted female leadership. We argue that her political emergence strengthened the struggle for territorial demarcation and redefined power structures within the Indigenous movement. The work challenges the patriarchal matrix that historically marginalizes female participation in decision-making spheres. The article discusses the role of Jenipapo Kanindé women in the continuity of resistance, in cultural reproduction, and in the intersection between gender demands and ethnic struggles. By analyzing the case, the text contributes to Ethnobiography and to debates on Indigenous feminisms, ethnicity, and female agency in Northeast Brazil, highlighting the political power of protagonism in territorial resistance.