Indigenous Knowledge and Practices : Tabajaras/ Piripiri/ PI/ Brazil

Agostinho Junior Holanda Coe is an Associate Professor at the Center for Humanities and Letters/Department of History/UFPI and the Postgraduate Program in Anthropology/UFPI. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, during his explorations for new discoveries and meanings in life, he encountered the opportunity to get to know the Tabajara People of Piripiri, through the Extension Project "Afro-Indigenous Knowledge and Practices in Piauí". Completely captivated by the stories of struggles and resistance of the Tabajara, he connected with the forests, the enchanted beings, and the indigenous ancestors, in such a way that he can no longer spend much time away from his relatives in Piripiri/PI. Today she coordinates the Teaching, Research and Extension Center with Traditional Peoples and Communities – “PIAUÍAFROINDÍGENA”, focusing all her research experiences on establishing connections with indigenous communities, quilombola communities, terreiro communities, among other possibilities of ancestral connections.

Maria Auxiliadora do Nascimento Oliveira is an indigenous woman of the Ypy ethnicity and the current President of the Association of the Organized Indigenous Community of Canto da Várzea/Piripiri/PI. As a female leader, she has been breaking down barriers regarding the importance of women's protagonism in indigenous movements in Piauí and Brazil, echoing the history of the Tabajara people of Piripiri in national and international events. A great defender of the preservation of the forests and woodlands of Piauí, as the place of the enchanted and ancestral indigenous beings, she has stood out as one of the greatest leaders of the Tabajara Ypy, always being invited to give her testimony of ancestral struggle and resistance, as a mission inherited from several generations of relatives who already inhabited the territory of Piauí.

Vitorino Leite de Sousa, better known as Pajé Vitor, belongs to the Tabajara Ypy ethnic group and has resided in Canto da Várzea, Piripiri/PI, for over 20 years. A Pajé, Pai de Santo (spiritual leader), healer, and specialist in indigenous medicine, he dedicates his life to preserving traditional knowledge, fighting for the rights of indigenous peoples, and promoting indigenous health and education in the state of Piauí. He has always valued and shared ancestral knowledge about medicinal herbs and forests, which for him represent a true heritage of healing and resistance for the Tabajara people. He dedicates his life to giving visibility to indigenous healing practices, raising awareness about the importance of preserving forests and woodlands, valuing indigenous health practices and the traditions of native peoples, who carry an indispensable wisdom for restoring balance and connection between humanity and nature.