Do cuts in Brazilian public education funding threaten indigenous languages? - Akwe-Xerente scholars discuss the role of the school in maintaining their language

Abstract

Abstract

This study presents the results of the research carried out in the Funil village - one of the territories belonging to the Akwe-Xerente people -, located at a distance of 12 km from Tocantínia, state of Tocantins. The initial research hypothesis,that also inhabits the collective imaginary of the Akwe-Xerente people, was that their language is threatened due to their proximity to the city and to the intensive use of new technologies. However, the hypothesis has not been confirmed. The students were able to conclude that a greater contact with the city or with new technologies resulting from contact with the ktâwanõ, does not necessarily pose a threat to the vitality of the Akwe language.