CHARACTERIZATION OF SOURCES, USES AND PERCEPTION OF WATER QUALITY BY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN TANGARÁ DA SERRA

The individual’s perception is tied to their identity, which is woven throughout life and involves all the dimensions of the being. In Indigenous communities, such perception is part of multiple dimensions. Considered the fundamental universal solvent to the existence of all forms of life, water—its quality and quantity—is often the subject of discussions involving problems of modern society. But these debates give little to no emphasis on the quality of water used in traditional and Indigenous communities. This paper reflects on how the indigenous group Haliti in the Rio Formoso Indigenous Land, Tangará da Serra, Mato Grosso, perceive the quality of water. Data were collected by direct observation and the application of questionnaires in four villages. Results show that water quality is perceived from visual appearance (color), olfactory (odor) and palatable (taste) characteristics, ignoring the artificial water treatment methods.