Indigenous Astronomy

Cultural Heritage and Intercultural Education of the Pitaguary People

Abstract

Brazil's indigenous peoples, such as the Pitaguary, have developed profound astronomical knowledge, using it to guide their daily activities and understand the natural world. However, this ancestral knowledge is under threat from the imposition of Western cultural values and practices. This study aims to investigate the relationship between traditional Pitaguary Astronomy and Science teaching in the community's indigenous schools, seeking to understand how the Pitaguary themselves see the possibility of integrating their celestial knowledge into the school curriculum. In addition, the research analyzes the role of public policies in promoting intercultural education and valuing ancestral knowledge. Using a qualitative methodology with an ethnographic approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with leaders of the Pitaguary people. Data analysis, carried out using thematic analysis, enabled us to identify the main categories and themes present in the interviewees' statements, revealing the importance of traditional Astronomy in the Pitaguary's cultural identity and the need to value this knowledge in the school context. The results of this research contribute to the valorization of epistemological diversity and the dissemination of traditional astronomical knowledge in Science teaching, strengthening the struggle for differentiated indigenous education and the preservation of Pitaguary culture.