Learning about Indigenous life

Today we visited the Indigenous village, Aldeia Mata Verde Bonita. In their village we visited the school where students grades up to 5th grade learn. Before COVID19 all students learned together, however COVID hit the village very hard, including the sad passing of many chiefs–post COVID, students are now learning in smaller groups.The nearby City Hall provides the village with teachers and materials for their classrooms. However, for those above 5th grade, they leave the village to go to school and their materials are not provided for them. 

Along with learning about their schooling we also had the opportunity to see more of the village, including a museum being built, other structures, and learn about how buildings are constructed. Another highlight would be seeing the grass being dried up in order for them to make the roofs of their houses- which they change every 4-5 years. Along with seeing their plants, hearing their history, and learning about their classroom we were able to participate in a traditional dance that they taught us as well as a game we competed in. They said goodbye to us by feeding us a home cooked meal, some received fish and others received chicken and then we all received salad, a traditional Brazilian food, and rice. Overall, it was an amazing experience to be able to learn and participate with everyone in the village.

You can see more about Aldeia Mata Verde Bonita on Instagram: https://instagram.com/aldeiamataverdeb?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=