MBYA ARANDU PORÃ
GUARANI LIVING SCHOOL
Territory: Ribeirão Silveira Indigenous Land, the territory has 948 hectares approved and has been in the process of being extended for years, with the ordinance having been declared for 8,468 hectares, now bordering three municipalities: Bertioga, São Sebastião and Salesópolis.
Population benefited: directly 50 and indirectly 400 Guarani Mbya people.
Guarani Mbya
Coordinator: Carlos Papá
At MBYA ARANDU PORÃ, name of the Guarani Living School, young people have begun to awaken their dormant memories. Ancestral practices are in dialogue with agroforestry techniques, bee cultivation and an Essence House.
In this territory, where the Guarani language is dominant, children and young people find at the Living School a place to learn the stories of their people, practise their art and science.
The GUARANI PEOPLE inhabit the southern region of South America in a vast territory that overlaps the territories of Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Bolivia. The GUARANI call this entire region YVY RUPA. In the territory of the Silveira River, where MBYA ARANDU PORÃ is located, young people are beginning to realise the importance of the LIVING SCHOOL and, through this dialogue, have begun to sing things that were lost many years ago.
The LIVING SCHOOL is a tool for bringing back this ancient education, an education in respect, an education in health, an education in walking, an education in talking, an education in looking.
"Through the Living School I've been able to have an experience with the elderly about
the importance of life and how important it is to value the knowledge of our tradition and, with a lot of effort, this has been practised. Today, young people are seeking out the cultural centre more when they want to talk, talk about their dreams, draw and learn more about the stories. A small part of the community and I recognise
ourselves as a living school. A larger part does not understand yet,
but I believe that, with time, they will."
Carlos Papá
MONTHLY SUPPORT:
workshops, maintenance of the prayer house and plant nursery, as well as support for families involved in the school's activities.
NEXT STEPS:
- Guarani exchanges, to exchange seeds and raise native bees.
- building a birthing centre to care for young girls in the pregnancy phase and to carry out births.
- strengthening the gardens to achieve food security.
COORDINATOR
Carlos Papá Mirim Poty belongs to the Guarani Mbya people. He lives in the village of Rio Silveira, located on the border between the municipalities of Bertioga and São Sebastião, and is a guardian of the sacred Guarani words. Over the last few years, Papá has been sending messages to the world about the importance of valuing and respecting the Nhë'ery, the Atlantic Rainforest. Through Ayvu Porã, the good and beautiful words, he transmits the philosophy and ancestral memory left by his grandparents. He has been working with audiovisuals for over 20 years, cultivating the memory and history of his people through cultural workshops with the young. He also acts as a spiritual leader in his community, being familiar with the plants that heal and guide our journey. He is a representative of the Guarani Yvy Rupa Commission and also a founder and counsellor of the Maracá Institute. There have been numerous projects and events in which he has participated and to which he has been invited in recent years, such as: the World Indigenous Peoples' Games in Tocantins in 2015; the Mekukradjá - Circle of Knowledge debate cycle at Itaú Cultural; various film screenings, exhibitions and festivals, such as Aldeia SP - Indigenous Film Biennial, the Tela Indígena Festival in Porto Alegre and the Festival of Indigenous Cultures at the Memorial da América Latina in São Paulo. He was the curator of rec.tyty - Festival of Indigenous Arts. He took part as an artist in the Moquém-Surari exhibition at the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art (MAM-SP) during the 34th São Paulo Biennial.
