Signaling traditions: meaning Effects in Libras Signs Used for the Indigenous Character in the Bumba Meu Boi of Maranhão

Abstract

Among the regional festivities of Maranhão, Bumba meu boi stands out. The way in which the characters that make up this tradition are named results from the discourses produced about them. Therefore, regarding Brazilian Sign Language (Libras), this statement remains applicable due to its iconicity. Based on this premise, the present study questions what meaning effects are expressed through the signing of the indigenous character, who is a key figure in Bumba meu boi groups in Maranhão. Thus, the objective is to analyze the meaning effects present in the signs used to represent the indigenous character in the Bumba meu boi context. This study
aims to report which signs are or were used to refer to the indigenous subject in this cultural manifestation and to analyze the meanings embedded in the collected signs regarding the indigenous character. The methodology is based on Materialist Discourse Analysis, with the corpus consisting of interviews with four deaf individuals. The signs were collected through visual records. The theoretical framework includes works by Pêcheux (2010); Orlandi (1984; 2008; 2010; 2015); Indursky (2000; 2011); Quadros, Pizzio, and Rezende (2008), which serve as the basis for the proposed discussions.