The Future of Education
The Indigenous People of the FULNI-Ô in Pernambuco: Language and Education to Preserve Identity
Giovanna Campani, Universidad Pablo de Olavide (Spain)
Abstract
The Fulni-ô people (people of the river) live in the city of Águas Belas-Pernambuco (North-East of Brasil) . Since centuries, the Fulni-ô are in contact with the non-indigenous society. However, they have preserved their social and cultural values, and, especially, the practice of the Yaathe language. How was this possible? The Fulni-ô people were the only people in the Northeast, with the exception of Maranhão, which have preserved their mother tongue. One of the keys for understanding this phenomenon, is the importance of the ritual sacred and secret Ouricuri.
The paper will analyze their school education in order to understand what is the meaning given to school by the Fulni-ô people and how it helps to preserve their identity.
Keywords: Language, Cultural Identity, Indigenous, Education
