HALITI-PARESI CERAMIC ART: KNOWLEDGE, MEMORY AND ORALITY IN SCHOOLHaliti-Paresi Pottery; Traditional Knowledge; Orality; Haliti Mother Tongue.
This dissertation, linked to the research line Teaching and Languages in an Intercultural Context of the Graduate Program in Teaching in an Intercultural Indigenous Context-PPGECII/UNEMAT – Barra do Bugres Campus-MT, has as its main objective, through pedagogical practice and in a transdisciplinary manner, to revive oral knowledge about Haliti pottery, based on the memories of our people's elders. The research also seeks to reinforce the role of indigenous schools as spaces for cultural and linguistic strengthening, taking as a reference the ancient processes and knowledge related to the traditional production of Haliti pottery, especially clay pots. Historically, the use of ceramics occupied a central place in our daily and spiritual lives, but with contact with non-indigenous people and the introduction of aluminum utensils, this practice was gradually abandoned. The movement to revive this art intensified in the 1990s, driven by leaders and elders, such as Chief João Arrezomae, who recognized the importance of reviving this tradition. Thus, the research is justified by the need to revive the memory of the ancients and value the ancestral knowledge about this art, which represents the cultural heritage and identity of our Haliti-Paresi people. Methodologically, the study follows a qualitative, participatory, and ethnographic approach (André, 2003), as I was directly involved in the entire teaching and research process with the community, elders, and students of the village, combining observation, interviews, and pedagogical practices. The methodological approach was guided both by the traditional research methods of our Haliti people, based on listening to our elders, and by the theoretical references of Paulo Freire, who shows us that teaching and research are inseparable actions. The results indicate that the revival of our dormant ancient knowledge, especially Haliti pottery, helps to strengthen the use of our Haliti-Paresi language, promotes the appreciation of cultural identity, and enables a liberating educational practice, in which students become active participants in the learning process. In addition, the research provoked in me, as a teacher and Haloti, a concern with the use of our Haliti mother tongue, because Portuguese is becoming predominant among the younger generations. In this context, the school plays a fundamental role in linguistic and cultural revitalization, serving as a bridge between traditional knowledge and school knowledge. Another important point that I would like to highlight here is the educational product, in the form of a catalog, developed during pedagogical practice carried out in conjunction with children, elders, and the community. This catalog is, therefore, a record and also an invitation for our children and young people to continue learning from clay, from words, and from the wisdom of our elders, strengthening our language, our culture, and our Haliti way of living and teaching.