THE STUDY OF THE MAINTENANCE OF LANGUAGES IN THE INDIGENOUS SCHOOLS LEONARDO CRIXI APIAKÁ, JUPORIJUP AND KRIXI BAROMPÔ, IN THE INDIGENOUS LAND APIAKÁ-KAYABI, JUARA ― MATO GROSSO
Indigenous School Education. Language Maintenance and Teaching. Language Language.
School education is the hope of indigenous peoples to definitely conquest their rights and land. Following these aspects, and looking for the indigenous autonomy and the implementation of public policies for their school education, this text emphasized the teaching of the Portuguese and the indigenous languages, the respect for the indigenous culture in educational practices, the role schools perform in the process and the characteristics those schools are supposed to have. From this perspective, this research aimed to study the space of indigenous language preservation practices in schools located in three indigenous villages. Sociolinguistics assumptions and its aspects supported the theoretical framework with studies on contact between languages, on multilingualism and on Educational Sociolinguistics oriented by the multilingual context, and viewing school as a space for sociolinguistic discussions. Our purpose was to indicate solutions or improvements for the teaching of the mother tongue, and to resolve problems faced by such teaching, one of the most important factors especially in the school context. The methodology included bibliographic and documentary, ethnographic and field research, and promoted interaction with indigenous communities in order to absorb such complex knowledge better. We also used qualitative research, which helped expand knowledge about indigenous communities and their procedures to preserve and revitalize their languages. The research proceeded with a clipping for the intercultural and sociolinguistic aspects within the educational space of indigenous schools, which, we believe, offers valuable contributions to studies on Indigenous School Education, and allows for the schools of indigenous peoples to think over their school education, their learning and the development of the language they speak. As sociolinguistics assumptions oriented this research, we considered indigenous beliefs, values, feelings, philosophy of life, attitudes, and positions of the subjects participating in the investigation, and analyzed such categories to suggest elements for an adequate and effective indigenous formal education. The study researched on languages spoken in indigenous communities to find out how they maintain and revitalize those languages, thus preventing their disappearance. The results advocate the indigenous right to learn the standard Portuguese and always observing those peoples specificities, differences and multilingualism. Such learning should always conform to the government legislation on the subject, a practice that schools should adopt recurrently, from a plural perspective, with actions guided for dialogical purposes, making room in all possible senses for an alternative education capable of meeting the demands of valuing indigenous knowledge inside and outside school curricula.