Research practice, counter-colonial epistemology and the production of indigenous knowledge on Human Rights Education

Abstract

This article aims to analyze research practices in graduate studies, focusing on a counter-colonial epistemological perspective and the production of knowledge by Indigenous educators on Human Rights Education. Through narratives of experiences within the Graduate Program in Education (PPGEd), at the Federal University of Piauí (UFPI), both in epistemological studies and in research conducted in the territory of the Guajajara people in Maranhão. We highlight as methodological approaches the Cartography use and the cultural circles for data production by indigenous teachers, which incorporate Guajajara cultural elements such as singing, maraca (rattle), body painting, the bow and arrow, and the Indigenous storytelling as epistemic tools for reimagining Human Rights Education. Like a rhizome, this knowledge engages in dialogue with Indigenous authors among others who contribute to discussions on Human Rights Education. The research process itself reveals traces of Human Rights Education, shaped by an Indigenous perspective that is decolonizing and counter-colonial. It affirms the strength of knowledge and power circularity among Indigenous peoples, the communal and collective dimensions of knowledge construction, and a nomadic, inter-, pluri-, and transversal perspective in research pathways.