ABSTRACT
The article discusses the engagement of Kaiowá and Guarani intellectuals in the effort to systematize a theory of knowledge from their own cosmological principles. Such a theory is forged in the multifaceted connections between the indigenous knowledge system - the ava reko -, understood as different types of beings and inhabitants of the various planes of existence accessed by indigenous specialists, such as the shaman men and women, and the non-indigenous schooling system to which educated young people are intensely exposed - the karai reko. The aim here is to demonstrate how the process of literacy or schooling that at a first glance would alienate or imprison the Indigenous perspective has often the opposite effect: a deeper connection of these literate young people with their own tradition. We prioritize the dialogue with young scholars and their intellectual productions as a basis for the development of the hypothesis.
KEYWORDS:
Guarani and Kaiowá; Indigenous knowledge; Indigenous ethnology; Indigenous history; Indigenous school education