RITXÒKÒ AS A PEDAGOGICAL INSTRUMENT IN KARAJÁ CULTURE

Abstract

In the Hawalora indigenous community, the ritxòkò help raise awareness and preserve Karajá culture (Iny Mahãdu) culture. Indians Hawalora’s Karajá live on the banks of the Araguaia and Tapirapé Rivers, between the state of Mato Grosso and the state of Tocantins, being near to the city of Santa Terezinha - MT. Ritxòkò are dolls, normally made of clay, with notable playful-pedagogical potential, as an instrument for creating experiences, ideas and teaching-learning practices for the Karajá, whether in a school environment or outside it. The present study sought to understand a little about the production and stories involving the traditional ritxòkò crafts, notably, about its cultural practices and values, to then analyze the relevance of rescuing and (re-)signifying this tradition, as a pedagogical resource, in other words, not to be restricted to a commodity object for selling crafts to non-Indians. The methodologies used in the research were, in addition to bibliographical research, fieldwork, with the organization of a workshop for making clay dolls, composing observations and analyses.