This study aims to understand the use of pesticides in agricultural cultivation and its relationship with indigenous health from a case study among the Xukuru from Ororuba indians, in the town of Pesqueira, Pernambuco State, Brazil. The methodological strategies used were participatory observation, document analysis, focus groups and questionnaires; they have given access to socio-political events and cultural ethnicity, the perception of individuals and contextual socio-historical aspects that influenced the inclusion of pesticides' technology on the Xukuru indigenous land and agricultural productive process. The use of pesticides in this ethinic group is historically related to the socio-economical model introduced along with the process of industrialization in the region. In the indigenous perception, pesticides were related to the meaning of medicine, but it was also perceived as a poison. The use of chemicals is done intensively and the indians do not use any personal protective equipment. The Xukuru recognize the pesticide influence on health;, however they highlight that this practice is required to guarantee the agricultural production. There is a need for the implementation of public policies to promote health, aiming to offer sustainable agricultural alternatives to the indigenous Xukuru that are made with their participation, respecting their cultural traditions.
Pesticides; Risk Perception; Indigenous Health; Indians of the Northeast; the Xukuru from Ororuba