Indigenous school education guidelines for the Munduruku and Apiaká peoples of Planalto Santareno: “the school we want”

Abstract

Inspired by ethnographic and participatory approaches, this text aims to both systematize and present reflections carried out by the Working Group formed to elaborate the Indigenous School Education Guidelines, an initiative of residents of the Munduruku and Apiaká territories in Planalto Santareno, in the city of Santarém, state of Pará. The Guidelines are in alignment with the proposal of a differentiated school education for the five villages (Açaizal, Amparador, São Francisco da Cavada, Ipaupixuna and São Pedro do Palhão), serving as guidance for the creation of Indigenous Political-Pedagogical Projects (PPPI), from the perspective of intercultural-based education. The Guidelines were drawn up throughout 2022, in multiple indigenous meetings and assemblies. The elaboration of the Guidelines was grounded on Brazilian laws that address indigenous school education, in accordance with Article 78 of the National Education Guidelines and Bases, which determine that school education for indigenous peoples must be intercultural and bilingual, in order to contribute to ethnic reaffirmation, the recovery of their historical memories and the appreciation of their language and sciences, in addition to enabling access to information and knowledge valued by the national society. Regarding the methodology, throughout the process of producing the guidelines by the Munduruku and Apiaká peoples, the following stand out: the pedagogical workshop on September 27th and 28th, 2021, the various GT meetings and the assemblies for discussions and approval of the final text which resulted in the official document, which was launched on March 10, 2023, in a public event with wide publicity in the media, aiming to give visibility to the projects and struggles of the indigenous movement in the western region of Pará.