Studying indigenous peoples from a new understanding. Learning to see their greatness, plurality and wealth, transcending the limits of the stereotype. And above all else, cultivating respect for such great wisdom and a tremendous capacity for resistance.
As such, the Year 3 children have been studying the reality of the Brazilian indigenous population, seeking an in-depth understanding of what it really means to be indigenous. There are hundreds of different peoples, with different forms of social organization and specific aspects that concern each ethnic group. There is a complexity in this population that has yet to be perceived by our society and it is essential that the school foster this perception.
“In Year 3, we focus on learning ways of life at several points in time so that the children can understand the different forms of organization that humanity has developed over the years. Studying native Brazilian peoples is the school’s responsibility – guaranteed by law – so that we can seek a process of decolonization of our history. Our idea is to remove the stereotypes that these people carry in our culture, portraying the diversity of each people’s way of life for the children, as well as their struggle for survival and land” – explains Gabriela Fernandes, pedagogical coordinator of the Elementary School at be.Living.
She says that this year, the link to develop this work was the pandemic and how Covid-19 affected the native peoples. From there, a study began on who these communities and peoples are, where they are located and what their habits and customs are.
Michelle Ristow, the teacher responsible for the project this year, explains that the pandemic is very delicate for indigenous peoples because they harbor a great sense of collectivity, present from food to other aspects of living. “By analyzing and reflecting on how they were affected by the pandemic, we were able to address some sub-themes, such as the location of these peoples, and the children could see that the indigenous people are not only located in the forests, but across all Brazilian states, including cities.”
According to Michelle, the purpose of the project is to provide the children with a perception of how this particular culture that indigenous peoples carry is vast, taking into account that they are not just one people, but different ethnicities, with more than 150 languages and distinct cultures. “The intention is to expand the children’s repertoire far beyond the stigma that the indigenous population is made up of people who wear a headdress and makes a noise with their hands over their mouths. This has nothing to do with the cultural richness of indigenous peoples. And there’s an extremely important contextualization to be formed. Somebody was already here prior to Cabral’s occupation. After that occupation, something very strong happened to these peoples. We need to recognize and legitimize both the territory and the existence of the indigenous peoples of the Americas – its natives – to get to know and understand this history as our history, alive and real.”
Exploring the universe of indigenous people, through readings, audiovisual work, art and storytelling, has yielded many discoveries and awakened a lot of reflection and curiosity in the Year 3 boys and girls. From types of play, games and competitions to myths and types of homes, another world has been revealed to enrich the world that the child already knows. “It is very enriching to come into contact, for example, with traditional indigenous medicine and with the possibility that all the wisdom of this science could be studied by traditional Western medicine and also be used by our society. We are specifically studying the traditional customs of these peoples and instead of judging, we are reflecting on what we could learn from them.”
The teacher tells of a very nice moment that happened during a live stream, which is where the children get the chance to share their perceptions and learning with everyone about what is being addressed in the project. “It was very interesting when I showed them some videos that talk about indigenous games and, in these videos, many of them were naked, with a cloth or something covering their private parts, but, unlike us, they were naked. And at the beginning of the live stream, one of the children commented that she found that ‘disgusting’, that it had been very shocking for her and as a class, we talked about it throughout the live. At the end, the same child made a point of emphasizing that she really didn’t think it was cool to be naked but that she could now understand that it was a matter of that people’s culture, that cultures are different and that we shouldn’t show prejudice. It was really great to see the deconstruction of this comment in a single encounter on Zoom. So, this project seeks to lend another perspective, to think outside the box and look at the other with respect, understanding their place as someone who has a culture different from mine but who can also contribute, with whom I can learn and, above all else, that I need to respect.”
Michelle says she feels that this lesson of respect and being open to studying others in a broad and non-judgmental way has been increasing every week within each child. “One boy said that the indigenous people are ‘the most rooted people in the world’ because they live in the forest and live with life. May we increasingly look at these people as beings who are resilient and who, in fact, have a lot to teach us.”
