Experts talk education on Brazil’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day
In July last year, a law defined April 19 as Brazil’s Day of the Indigenous Peoples—no longer “Indian Day”—aimed at celebrating their culture and heritage in the country. Approved by Congress, the measure does away with the term “Indian,” considered prejudiced against the original peoples.Still, in the view of Dinamam Tuxá, executive coordinator at the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil—APIB—prejudice is ultimately reinforced by stereotypes that still persist in celebrations and textbooks.“Schools have kids dress up. They try to fit indigenous people into a mold, inside a little box. The indigenous people are the people who live in the forest, walking around in their traditional clothes. This builds a scenario tainted by racism, as these children grow up thinking of indigenou...