The main objective of this research was to understand the significance of indigenous art for
the elementary school students of the Tekator State Indigenous School, located in
Tocantinópolis-TO, and how this art is developed within the researched school. As a
methodology, qualitative research was used, with an ethnographic and bibliographical
approach, as well as questionnaires applied to indigenous students, as well as the observation
of how they produced their artistic works in the researched village. This research carried out
at the Tekator Indigenous School, located in the Mariazinha-TO village, enabled me as a
researcher to understand how the art discipline is worked within a village, and to understand
what the pupils of that unit have in relation to indigenous art produced by themselves in this
space. With this I can see that the arts produced by the natives refer, mostly, to the crafts that
they make, such as necklaces made of beads, abano, coufo, and mat among others. I could
also see that they themselves teach the techniques of how other arts are made, such as
paintings, explaining their meanings and teaching them which of these are most used by the
apinaye of the village, which makes it clear that their cultural and artistic knowledge is past
from generation to generation. In analyzing the questionnaires answered by the Indians, I
could see that they characterize their cultures as something normal in their habitat, since they
do not consider what they produce as art. The art seen in the objects they produce are more
seen and understood (in this conception) by professors and researchers of the area, and not
always by themselves. That is, it is possible to affirm that art for them means culture, the
historical root of a people struggling to keep alive their identity, knowledge produced over
time, as well as the "pleasure" in producing and socializing the art that they themselves to
their people and community. Although many have reported that they like art, they also make
clear that it represents not only their reality, but also history, struggle and resistance of a
people. Due to the importance of this study, it is perceived that studying the indigenous
people of the apinayé ethnic group was very important, because a more profound knowledge
of their culture permeated me, for more, the fruit of this study will serve as a basis for the next
research related to art apinayé.
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