From vast public lands to the narrowness of sold land: reflections on quilombola territories and communities in northern Mato Grosso do Sul

Abstract In this article the authors analyze transformations in the forms of land access among different segments of society in the north of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. The discussion focuses on the Família Bispo quilombola community in the municipality of Sonora, a region historically linked to a border area between the Bororo and Kayapó indigenous peoples. The case analyzed is emblematic because it includes indigenous people, quilombolas, and migrants from other Brazilian states, all involved in alliances and disputes mainly surrounding land tenure and ownership. The transformation of space with the consent and participation of government agents, resulted (as one interlocutor stated) in the expropriation of indigenous and quilombola territories, because the vast public lands were transformed into land that was sold and privately owned, regularized through contracts and notary deeds.