Cowboys, Morão Races and Bulls Catch in the Old Paraiban Cariri, in Northeast Brazil

Maria de Lourdes Soares

Department of Social Services of Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Brazil

Abstract: We have studied cowboys (cattle drovers), and their activities. They face a harsh environment, marked by uncertainties, and reinforce traditional practices, such as: Pegas de Gado (cattle herding) and Morão races, as sustainable socio-environmental alternatives. In order to study such cowboys and their practices of Pegas de Gado and Morão races at the Cariri region in the Paraiba state, we have resorted to documental and bibliographical material, as well as to empirical research, “in loco”. To a better understanding about “Cattle catching” and “Morão races” we had to retrieve cowboys’ activities on ranches, or cattle farms, in addition to their performance during the “Cattle separation festivals”, Morão races and the like. To understand how these activities have developed and survived at the Paraiban Cariri, even with the reduction of cattle breeding, we ought to preserve the biome, by treating animals well, linking present to future, needs and wishes, thus constituting a form to men’s survival, in a more sustainable way.

Key words: cowboys, traditional practices, sustainable way