The theme of the relations between orality and writing can be found in most studies and programs dedicated to the issue of the school education of indigenous populations, but it has seldom been taken as the central problem in understanding the teaching-learning processes in the contexts where schools take part. In fact, authors that deal with this question emphasize almost exclusively writing, and tend to forget about orality. In this sense, associated to the need for a deeper theoretical discussion, one can observe the lack of analyses dedicated to comprehend the role and meaning of writing and orality among the various indigenous peoples. With the purpose of contributing to expand and advance the debate, this article seeks to discuss the theme based on an approach that allows us to move between the reading of specialized texts and reports that register interpretations by Mbya Guarani individuals. The testimonies collected and transcribed during seven years of research and living with the Mbya in different villages in the South and Southeast regions of the country allowed us to reconceptualize orality and writing as important aspects within a wider group of processes of production, acquisition and transmission of knowledge. From this viewpoint, education is conceived in a wide sense that cannot be reduced to schooling.
Schooling of indigenous peoples; Orality; Writing; Mbya Guarani