Nhembo’ea Reko Regua: Trajectories of the Mbya Guarani Struggle for a Differentiated Education

Abstract

The Mbya Guarani knowledge is traditionally transmitted through oral language, in a process designated by the expression Nhembo’ea reko regua. The Brazilian legislation defines the right of the indigenous communities to have a differentiated, bilingual indigenous education, one that may contribute to the empowerment of the traditional culture. However, many times the communities’ efforts in this direction are not recognized, not even by the State agents responsible for managing public services. In this article, we depart from the Brazilian legislation’s determinations for the indigenous education to then present the fight process of the indigenous communities of São Paulo to effectuate their rights in relation to this subject. With the imposition of school for the recognition of the youth’s instruction by the State, and with the need of written language to access the world of white people, arises also the need to document the Mbya Guarani narratives and knowledge in written form in order to use them as didactic resources in the education of teachers and students. We conclude the text presenting the paths of action taken by the Amerindian Support Network service (Institute of Psychology/University of São Paulo), in considering the processes of differentiated education, that culminated in the construction of a House of the Indigenous Cultures in the University of São Paulo, Brazil.