It is by walking that one learns
The importance of walking and making mistakes in Tupi Guarani education
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6135323 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Pedro Bossada (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 17-23 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-27 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Anthropologia integra (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1804-6657 • E-ISSN: 1804-6665 |
| Publisher | Masaryk University Press (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.5817/ai2025-1-17 |
| OpenAlex | W4416896313 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 14 |
This article focuses on the educational practices of the Tupi Guarani people. It is based on my ethnographic experiences in two Tupi Guarani indigenous lands on the coast of São Paulo, Brazil. Dialogue with teachers, students, and Tupi Guarani specialists inside and outside of Indigenous schools suggests that this complex knowledge system is based on an ethic of good and bad ways of existence. The good way (teko porã) and the bad way (teko vai) are defined by the words of Nhanderu (the Creator), which guide Tupi Guarani people as they journey through teaching and learning. According to the Tupi Guarani, learning is akin to walking between paths. These paths are multiple and decentralised, like walking through a forest. I argue that this knowledge-ethical system differs from our own due to its emphasis on mistakes. From a Tupi Guarani perspective, making mistakes seems to be an indispensable element of taking a path. In an educational setting, I would argue that making a mistake is like stumbling along the path: the walker/student sees it as a turning point, creating new possibilities and new worlds
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |