Fofoca: The Formation of Garimpos

Abstract

The formation of a garimpo is a complicated process. It begins with an individual, or a small group of prospectors, and ends with scores, hundreds, thousands and occasionally tens of thousands of garimpeiros working around the area of the original strike. Social relations have to be defined, and space has to be apportioned for people to work. The sequence of events that begins with successful prospecting and ends with the birth of a mature garimpo is usually compressed into a few months, and rarely lasts for more than a year. It is a period of frantic activity, with radical changes following upon one another with bewildering speed. At first glance, all this activity appears chaotic, an expression of the proverbial anarchy and lawlessness of gold mining communities, but beneath the blur of events lie highly structured processes common to the formation of all garimpos, large and small.