"A morte é a perda da palavra": repensando a alfabetização bilíngue a partir das reflexões de professores guarani das escolas indígenas de Maricá, Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

This work intends to approach the reflections and practices of Guarani teachers who work in Guarani Mbyá bilingual literacy in Rio de Janeiro through the extension project “Actions for valuing and school monitoring of Guarani villages in the municipality of Maricá”, promoted by the Fluminense Federal University. Using decolonial perspectives as a benchmark, we methodologically used content analysis (BARDIN, 1977) to analyze the bilingual literacy experiences of two Guarani Mbyá teachers who work in schools in Rio de Janeiro. In the analysis of the testimonies, it is possible to perceive two characteristics that contextualize the pedagogical practices of the indigenous teachers: the Guarani culture, the way of thinking, and nhandereko; and the relationship with the surrounding society. The tension is evident as the teachers provoke “gnoseological displacements” prioritizing Guarani thought that brings, for example, notions of “counting” and “measurements” based on non-Western values. Another aspect found in the pedagogical practices of the indigenous teachers is the overcoming of the colonial dichotomy between oral and written, since the teachers use oral texts, such as the sacred song “Tangará Mirim”, as a resource during the learning of the written language. There is also a special importance that surrounds the name in the pedagogical practices of bilingual literacy, since the knowledge about the name in the Guarani culture is sacred and is related to nhandereko. Between the lines, they warn us that to break with epistemicide, linguicide, and rationality, it is necessary to guarantee autonomy in the construction of the Mbyá school.