INDIGENOUS AND QUILOMBOLA KNOWLEDGE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AS A PATH TO RECONNECTION WITH ANCESTRAL KNOWLEDGE

Abstract

This article presents reflections and experiences arising from an empirical research study  conducted in an early childhood education school in the city of São Paulo, herein referred to as  Escola Municipal Caminhos da Terra. We seek to understand how Indigenous and Quilombola  knowledge can engage in dialogue with environmental education practices in early childhood, even  in urban contexts, promoting learning grounded in respect for nature, attentiveness to ancestral  voices, and the appreciation of diverse forms of knowledge. The study is grounded in the works of  authors such as Ailton Krenak, Daniel Munduruku, Lélia Gonzalez, Mestre Nego Bispo, Conceição  Evaristo, and Givânia Maria da Silva, as well as contemporary Indigenous writers including Eliane  Potiguara, Lia Minápoty, Márcia Wayna Kambeba, and Auritha Tabajara. The research indicates  that the presence of ancestral knowledge in early childhood education broadens the scope of environmental education, transforming learning into a gesture of reconnection with the land and with the collective memory of Indigenous and Quilombola peoples.