Chapter 8 of the Brazilian Constitution is exclusively dedicated to the country’s native populations. It recognizes their right to preserve their way of life, habits, beliefs, traditions, and languages. Specific schooling programs, crafted following those guidelines, are also set by Brazil’s body of fundamental principles. However, much like most issues related to Brazilian indigenous peoples, these rights aren’t properly respected.
In São Paulo, the discrepancy between what the law states and what the government actually does is flagrant. The state government forces indigenous schools to follow the standard curriculum of the regular education system. Despite the official discourse that each school has the discretion to adapt subjects to each indigenous culture, the truth is that there is little specificity into what’s being taught to students from indigenous tribes.
A group of four women scholars – two indigenous teachers and two professors at the Federal University of São Paulo – have taken it into their own hands to change that reality and ensure indigenous...
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