Em busca do Estudo Maior: documentário sobre a formação superior de indígenas da etnia Karajá na Cidade de Goiás

Abstract

The documentary produced as the experimental project for this undergraduate thesis follows Indigenous Karajá women from the Bdeburé village, located in the municipality of Aruanã, Goiás, Brazil, as they pursue higher education at the Federal University of Goiás, Goiás campus, 174 km from their community. The film reflects on the pursuit of knowledge among Indigenous peoples by exploring the challenges faced by students enrolled in the Degree in Rural Education – Natural Sciences (LEdoC/UFG) as they navigate their academic training while periodically leaving their village and, consequently, their community responsibilities. Their motivation stems from a desire to strengthen their community and contribute to its struggle for rights. In this context, Estudo Maior—the continuation of education beyond secondary school—becomes both a collective journey and an increasingly necessary experience for Indigenous students from different ethnic groups and communities studying in the City of Goiás. Through interviews with the students and members of the Karajá community, the short documentary explores different perspectives on the pursuit of knowledge outside the village. It also portrays aspects of the students’ everyday lives in both the village and the university, as well as their surrounding environments, through footage recorded between 2019 and 2022. The film seeks to contribute to reflections on how the community of these LEdoC students has responded to and engaged with the movement toward higher education.