Grafismo Pataxó como epistemologia visual de reexistência: linguagem corporal, educação intercultural e retomada ontológica em territórios indígenas da Costa do Descobrimento (BA)

Abstract

This study investigates the body painting (grafismo) of the Pataxó people as an ancestral visual language that integrates educational processes and identity affirmation in the villages of Coroa Vermelha and the Jaqueira Reserve, located in Santa Cruz Cabrália, Bahia, Brazil. By understanding grafismo as a living, symbolic, and pedagogical practice, the research aims to analyze how this language articulates memory, territory, cosmology, and education. The investigation follows a qualitative and ethnographic approach, grounded in decolonial epistemologies and intercultural studies, employing participant observation, interviews with indigenous educators, leaders, and artists, as well as the analysis of school documents and visual records. The results reveal that grafismo, far from being mere aesthetic ornamentation, constitutes a structuring pedagogical device in indigenous education, used in rituals, workshops, and daily school activities as a tool for teaching, resistance, and meaning-making. The body drawings mobilize ancestral narratives, strengthen student self-esteem, promote the revitalization of the Patxohã language, and establish deep connections between the body, territory, and spirituality. The study demonstrates that grafismo operates as a language that teaches, protects, ritualizes, and communicates, consolidating itself as a political and epistemic expression of the Pataxó people in the face of historical processes of cultural erasure. By incorporating grafismo into the intercultural curriculum, indigenous schools reaffirm their autonomy in knowledge production, expanding the horizons of an education rooted in native worldviews. The analysis shows that this pedagogical practice contributes to building a decolonial, critical, and context-based education committed to indigenous ancestry and dignity. This research offers insights for public policies that respect epistemic diversity and value indigenous knowledge as a legitimate foundation of educational formation.