A milestone for the appreciation of the linguistic variety of Mato Grosso

‘Pá State Moto Makia Kukuxipakewá Amí Nanixí!‘ – In Portuguese, ‘our state has a wealth that you don’t know about.’ of the state.

From the 26th to the 28th of November, the 1st Seminar on Indigenous Languages was held in Cuiabá, which brought together professors, leaders and researchers to discuss the preservation of this cultural heritage, fundamental for the identity and culture of the original peoples.

Ivar Luiz Vendruscolo Busatto, general coordinator of Operation Native Amazon (OPAN), participated in the event and stressed that the situation of indigenous languages in Mato Grosso is complex and unequal. While some people speak exclusively their mother tongue, others face challenges such as the lack of speakers. In this sense, he highlighted the need for urgent actions to preserve traditional languages.

‘The seminary is an incredible opportunity to see that it is possible not only to save the indigenous languages, but to seek everything that is possible so that in fact this great wealth that expresses the culture, life, sensitivity and spirituality of peoples has the best possibilities of not getting lost’. 

Francisca Novantino, of the Paresi people and vice president of the State Council for Indigenous School Education of Mato Grosso (CEI), celebrated the seminar as a moment to make visible the pedagogical initiatives that value indigenous languages in schools. 

‘We are very happy because several of these actions that are carried out in indigenous schools did not even know that were happening’, said the vice president, who highlighted the importance of sharing positive experiences to encourage the continuity of these actions.

As an example, Novantino mentioned the Umutina-Balatiné people who managed to revitalize not only the language, but also the songs and the dances. According to the educator, the training of indigenous teachers from the community itself was an important step in this process.

Professor Eliane Boroponepá Monzilar, from the Umutina-Balatipané people and coordinator of the Indigenous Intercultural Degree at the Intercultural Indigenous College (Faindi), shared her journey: ‘I learned to speak my language when I entered the university. The importance of teacher training When we were accredited third-degree academics that we awaken to immerse within the culture and language.

According to Eliane, higher education provided the necessary tools to research and document the language, encouraging interaction between students and elders. ‘At the time we went to get the elders and the files to learn the language, which was asleep’, said the coordinator.

She recalls that the revitalization of the Umutina-Balatipané language was a challenging process, but she is very happy for today to experience the results. ‘It has been sown and is already blooming, which is the question of the language.’

In addition to training indigenous teachers, the creation of teaching materials and the use of technologies such as applications are important initiatives for the preservation of indigenous languages. The Myky people, for example, developed a dictionary and carried out activities that combine oral tradition with writing.

‘We speak and write well in our traditional language, which has its own characteristics, with differences in relation to Portuguese, such as the absence of certain letters’, said Professor Wajakuxi Myky, from Terra Myky, in Brasnorte.

‘For example, we don’t use D, F, G and Z and everything is recorded in our dictionary, which was made with the help of the elders, who go to the classroom and help students write texts,’ he added. 

Another initiative shared at the seminar was that of the Boe-Bororo people, who is developing an application for language teaching. Professor Mariel Mariscot Bento Kujiboekureu, from the Indigenous State School Sagrado Coração de Jesus da Aldeia Merure, said that the idea of creating the application came from a study carried out by the members of the community themselves, with the support of a linguist.

‘We are in this struggle to give a new life to the Bororo language, because in the past there was a break and it caused effects in our community. And this application is a playful way, because our children and young people use their cell phones a lot.

The app is expected to be launched in 2025. Mariel explained that the Boe-Bororo community will have free access to classes, but outsiders will need to pay an amount to know the traditional language of their people. 

Spelling Terena

Inspired by TV Globo’s spelling contest, O Povo Terena created the Spelling Terena. Professor Antonino Reginaldo Jorge, from the Élio Turi Rondon Terena Indigenous State School, from Aldeia Copenoti in the Terena Gleba Iriri Indigenous Reserve, stated that the project ended up going beyond teaching students to spell words in the traditional language and involved the entire community. 

“Parents came to tell me that the children woke up and slept speaking the words. And even the parents started to speak the Terena language”, said the teacher about the project, which, in addition to encouraging students to speak and write, also strengthened the cultural identity of the people. 

After the success of the project, the school defined that in 2025 another edition of theSpelling Terena, which will involve the four villages of the territory. 

Challenges 

Professor Paulo Henrique Martinho Skiripi, from the Rikbaktsa people, warns of the challenges faced by the languages of original peoples: the pressure of non-indigenous culture and the lack of appreciation of traditional education.

‘Before, the language was taught in the family cradle. Today, it is totally different because you have to go to school, which is not a school that reflects the reality of our community’, says Skiripi.

To reverse this scenario, the teacher defends the active participation of communities in the construction of a curriculum that values their languages and cultures, in addition to the documentation of different linguistic variations. ‘We’re the ones who have to say how we write and how we talk.’

The struggle for the preservation of indigenous languages is a constant challenge, but the initiatives presented at the seminar show that it is possible to overcome obstacles and guarantee the transmission of this cultural heritage to future generations. The strength and resilience of indigenous peoples are the greatest hope for maintaining this rich linguistic diversity.