The reflections here presented are based on our experiences in projects to train Indian teachers and on the data collected in a field research, in the alto Rio Negro, with regard to: a) the linguistic uses in classroom with students from ten to twenty different ethnic groups and languages; b) the political-pedagogical project of the schools; c) the difficulties faced by students because of their indigenous origin. To meet the objective proposed, we present an analysis of the 'prevention system' of youth education, proposed by D. Bosco in the mid-XIXth century, and still used by the Salesian missionaries who live in the region. Such reflections can support the presentation of proposals that contribute, on the one hand, to formulate educational policies for indigenous secondary education in Brazil and, on the other, to build autonomous education systems, overcoming integrationist policies. Our main interlocutors are authors linked to the post-colonial perspective: Bhabha (1998), Hall (In: Sovik, 2003), Souza Santos (2000) and Shiva (2003).
Pedagogical practices; Indian teacher formation; Post-colonialism