THE PATAXÓ IMAGINARY IN KIJĒTXAWÊ TXAÊAÔ TXIHIHÃE PATAXÓ ŪG HÃ HÃ HÃE KATURÃMA

Abstract

This article is the result of a research aimed at identifying the imagination in the daily and collective experiences of the Pataxó and Pataxó Hã Hã Hãe people, especially regarding myths, and also analyzing how these are addressed in the indigenous school education of Aldeia Katurãma. The research was conducted in the indigenous community currently residing in São Joaquim de Bicas/MG, with the adoption of the oral history through oral tradition for data collection. Interviews were conducted with seven teachers, in addition to participant observation recorded in a field diary. That way, five myths were highlighted by the research subjects, where we could identify the central images, later analyzed based on Durand's theory of the imaginary (2002). It is concluded that myths are an integral part of the worldview of these ethnic groups and their mythical images, present in their educational practices, in school and in other dimensions of life, contribute to the maintenance of the culture, the struggle, and the resistance of these peoples.