Políticas de inclusão produtiva para os Krahô: análise da experiência da Aldeia Pedra Branca

Abstract

This research investigates some experiences of the Krahô people, a Timbira group from northeastern Tocantins, within the context of their interactions with surrounding society, exploring their cosmologies and unique perspectives on Western technologies and knowledge. The study focuses on analyzing three public policy experiences in the Pedra Branca village — the Rural Development Program, the National School Feeding Program (PNAE), and the Caxêkwỳj Hapỹmã Cator project of the local association — seeking to understand how the Krahô perceive and engage with these initiatives. Adopting an ethnographic approach based on participant observation, the dissertation engages with concepts such as historical pluralism, interethnic friction, ethno-development, and social management. The analysis of these experiences is guided by four parameters: indigenist or indigenous intermediation, protagonism in the process, adequacy to other perspectives, and technical and logistical support. The results indicate that, although a family-based support model is the most suitable for Krahô social organization, there are still significant challenges related to mediation, cultural adaptation of introduced technologies, and the continuity of policies. Based on the qualitative analysis of experiences through semi-structured interviews, as well as participation and monitoring of the articulations and discussions — which primarily involved two of the three initiatives — the study suggests that strengthening indigenous school management and fostering integration between school and community are crucial for promoting autonomy and developing more effective, dialogical policies. These policies should be grounded in an “epistemological fusion” that values both traditional knowledge and external expertise. Thus, this dissertation aims to refine the perspective on working in indigenous contexts and contribute to the planning and implementation of culturally sensitive productive inclusion policies for Brazil’s Indigenous peoples.