Ethnobotanics and Indigenous School Education: A Possibility Among the Paiter Suruí

Authors

  • Nauama Dias Suruí Universidade Federal de Rondônia
  • Chicoepab Suruí Dias Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35819/tear.v9.n2.a4503

Abstract

Abstract: Within their cultural context, indigenous peoples have an extremely close relation with nature, especially with plants. Ethnobotany is a discipline that aims to document, maintain, and valorize these types of knowledge. Given this background, the current research aims to document the ethnobotanical knowledge, specifically in relation to plants, of the indigenous group the Paiter Suruí of Rondonia, with the aim of valuing the importance of this knowledge through increased indigenous education initiatives. In order to accomplish this, we conducted a bibliographic study of the academic research conducted by those working with the Paiter Suruí. The results of this research show that the Paiter Suruí traditionally have maintained a vast ethnobotanical knowledge, including a variety of traditional medicinal remedies for maladies such as diarrhea, conjunctivitis, and inflammations. However, the study revealed that this knowledge has dissipated over time, mainly due to contact with non-indigenous communities, and with an educational model that ignores ethnocognition. As a result, this study concludes proposing that teachers within indigenous education use pedagogical methods that promote the importance of traditional knowledge practices and that enable indigenous students to actively participate in these learning processes.

Keywords: Ethnocognition. Indigenous peoples. Education. Medicinal plants.

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Author Biographies

  • Nauama Dias Suruí, Universidade Federal de Rondônia

    Mestranda em Ciências Ambientais pela Universidade Federal de Rondônia – PGCA/UNIR – Campus de Rolim de Moura. Especialista em Ensino de Ciências e Matemática pelo Instituto Federal de Rondônia - IFRO.

  • Chicoepab Suruí Dias, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

    Doutorando em Sociologia e Antropologia pela Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro – PPGSA/IFCS/UFRJ. Mestrado em Desenvolvimento Sustentável pela Universidade de Brasília – CDS/UnB.

Published

2020-12-08

How to Cite

Ethnobotanics and Indigenous School Education: A Possibility Among the Paiter Suruí. #Tear: Journal of Education, Science and Technology, Canoas, v. 9, n. 2, 2020. DOI: 10.35819/tear.v9.n2.a4503. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ifrs.edu.br/index.php/tear/article/view/4503. Acesso em: 24 jun. 2026.