The present research focuses on the meanings of schooling attributed by indigenous
Mẽbêngôkre in Kôkraxmôro, a village located in the municipality of São Félix do Xingu-PA,
in the Brazilian Legal Amazon. Given the urgency of discussing indigenous school education
in Brazil, conceived with/by indigenous peoples, considering the particularities of each people
and the universality that surrounds them, as well as the need for their voices to be echoed
throughout the school process, the question that moves us is: what meanings do the Mẽbêngôkre
attribute to schooling in Kôkraxmôro? Thus, we establish, as a general objective, to understand
meanings attributed to schooling from the voices of the Mẽbêngôkre in the village of
Kôkraxmôro. The path of this research is divided into two stages. The first consists of a
theoretical study of a bibliographic nature, which allowed us to understand the methodological
and epistemological paths taken in the investigation. We also conducted a survey of studies that
focus on indigenous school education, with an emphasis on research produced among the
Mẽbêngôkre. The second stage is characterized by fieldwork, guided by a qualitative approach,
following the principles of a case study as a research modality, with a descriptive and
interpretative design. As data production instruments, we have participant observation, field
diary notes, and interviews guided by previously prepared scripts containing semi-structured
questions. Regarding the organization of the data, we are guided by the principles of Discursive
Textual Analysis (DTA) as an interpretation technique, which involves following some essential
steps: unitarization, categorization, and the production of metatexts. These steps were necessary
for a rigorous and qualitative interpretation of the phenomena, based on Phenomenology,
especially in the studies of the philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty, who understands that it is
through the body, a cultural body, that we inhabit, perceive, feel, and manifest ourselves in the
world. The phenomenological attitude, in this perspective, allows transcendence in
understanding, acting, and feeling the other, with openness to different possibilities. We
understand that the meanings of schooling emerge after contact with the surrounding society,
and they change depending on the group's needs, in different times and spaces. However, there
is a common thread that unites them: the collective struggle for being and living well
Mẽbêngôkre, whose tools of battle can be acquired in school, considered the place where one
learns the knowledge of kubẽ, not to become others, but to enable the fight and resistance
against oppression and prejudices stemming from the action of the other. Therefore, it is urgent
to think about indigenous school education based on these meanings. And, although this
institution is an apparatus of state domination, it is necessary to tame it in order to serve
indigenous peoples, their desires, needs, and individual and collective expectations that are
placed in the school. We understand that this is a dream that remains resilient and can be realized
through effective management of school processes by indigenous people, ensuring them the
autonomy and protagonism advocated by Brazilian legislation.
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