Pega no laço! Reflexões sobre ancestralidade indígena, saúde mental e educação

Abstract

This essay explores how the valorization of Indigenous ancestry can contribute to the promotion of mental health in Brazil. The research, guided by cartographic methodology, analyzes testimonies by Eliane Potiguara (2018) and Daniel Munduruku (2009) about their experiences and the challenges they faced in constructing their subjectivities as Indigenous people. Both shared experiences of being persecuted and questioned about the legitimacy of their ancestry. The text also engages with the ecosophy concepts of Félix Guattari (2000), multiculturalism, and the anthropological anti-narcissism of Viveiros de Castro (2018), as well as the critiques of the Anthropocene by Ailton Krenak (2019; 2020). These reflections challenge the monopoly of a single vision of what it means to be human and the objectives of humanity in the world. The study concludes that engaging with Indigenous knowledge can expand individuals’ subjectivity, allowing them to access new values and ways of living. Furthermore, this engagement serves as a strategy for valuing diversity, combating racism, and fostering a more respectful relationship with nature. Lastly, the essay emphasizes the school as a privileged space for this intervention, as a site of socialization and education where Indigenous knowledge can be integrated and impact the formation of Brazilian subjectivities.