The Wedding Necklace as a Generative Theme for Teaching Socio-Environmental Education Knowledge and Skills
Keywords: Wedding necklace, Ancestral knowledge, Indigenous crafts,
Indigenous school.
This work is the result of a research project developed within the Postgraduate
Program in Teaching in an Intercultural Indigenous Context (PPGECII) on the
traditional knowledge of the Rikbaktsa Indigenous people, and the knowledge
that can be articulated for pedagogical practice in Rikbaktsa Indigenous
schools. Its objective was to identify and share possible traditional knowledge
and teaching practices that may be present in the making of the wedding
necklace, an object belonging to the Rikbaktsa material and immaterial culture.
This research was developed with elders of the people and had contributions
from some teachers of the Myhyinymykyta Skiripi Indigenous State School,
located in the Rikbaktsa Indigenous Territory, Barranco Vermelho Village, in the
municipality of Brasnorte/MT. For the development of the research, it was
established with the elders and teachers that the study would address the
processes for conducting research on the Wedding Necklace (Tutãrã). Based
on a participatory ethnographic research methodology, the following stages
were developed: observation and listening to the elders, collection of material
for the making of the Wedding Necklace, guidance on making the necklace and
its rules, and finally, the recording of practical activities throughout the entire
process. The data obtained showed that the activity, which linked cultural
practices with school activities, aroused great interest as a researcher, and I
believe it will strengthen pedagogical practices in classrooms at my Rikbaktsa
people's school. It was observed that the guidance from the elders and
teachers, both during the collection of materials from the chosen individuals,
such as snail shells (tutãrã), and in the making of the wedding necklace craft,
was invaluable. These teachings will be used in schools to introduce students to
and spark their interest in learning about the knowledge involved in making
wedding necklaces. Through this research, we can establish an intercultural
and interdisciplinary dialogue that allows for the identification of school
knowledge in mathematics, history, geography, biology, and other disciplines
related to cultural practices. However, we must emphasize that the Indigenous
Knowledge discipline, which is itself a cultural practice, already has a link to
ancestral culture. This can strengthen students' knowledge and encourage their
full involvement in activities that incorporate the traditional knowledge of the
Rikbaktsa people. By participating in the theoretical learning processes in the
classroom, students can understand that there are various models and forms of
crafts, depending on the people, with their own rules and beliefs.