The weaving of knowledge: a report of teaching and learning experience in the indigenous degree program

Abstract

The article reports on the teaching experience in the Course Completion Work 1 module, delivered during the first semester of 2024 as part of the Intercultural Degree in Indigenous School Education at the Universidade do Estado da Bahia (UNEB), Campus 8, in Paulo Afonso. The approach emphasises the preparation, execution, and impacts of pedagogical practices, highlighting the integration between academic and traditional knowledge. The central objective was to value the academic production of indigenous students, strengthening their cultural identities through the development of their dissertation projects. Methodologies adapted to indigenous epistemologies were employed, respecting their specificities, such as orality, the appreciation of ancestral knowledge, and the centrality of territoriality while also meeting academic methodological requirements. Beyond enabling the development of dissertation projects, the pedagogical practice reaffirmed students' histories and identities, fostering a space for dialogue between science and culture. The experience demonstrated that valuing traditional knowledge can enrich academic training and contribute to the preservation of Indigenous cultures through observable outcomes such as strengthening students' self-esteem by recognising their knowledge within the academic environment; the production of written materials that document and disseminate cultural and historical aspects of Indigenous communities; and the establishment of closer ties between the university and Indigenous communities, promoting knowledge exchange.