The 12th State Meeting of Indigenous Academics of Mato Grosso do Sul was held in conjunction with the 1st Seminar of the Indigenous Knowledge Network of Mato Grosso do Sul, addressing the theme "Indigenous Knowledge and Understanding in Dialogue: Changing Practices and Regimes in Higher Education." The events, which took place between May 15th and 16th, 2024, in Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, brought together Indigenous academics from the Guarani, Kaiowá, Nhandeva, Guató, Terena, Kinikinau, Atikum, and Kadiwéu peoples. The events were organized by the State University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), and the Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), with support from the Institute of Society, Population, and Nature (ISPN) through the Indigenous Program for Permanence and Opportunities at the University (PIPOU).
The event was part of the activities of the Knowledge Network, which has been developing initiatives to ensure Indigenous students remain in higher education since 2005. The Network project was created at Dom Bosco Catholic University (UCDB) and has since consolidated at UEMS, UFMS, and UFGD, establishing itself as an important platform for promoting Indigenous presence in universities. This year's Indigenous Scholars' Meeting addressed the current context of public higher education policies for Indigenous peoples in Brazil, experiences and challenges in building collaborative and intercultural spaces in universities, and Indigenous knowledge in academic production.
Daniel de Oliveira Ezidio, a member of the Terena people, a medical student at UEMS and a PIPOU scholarship holder, participated in the event for the first time. He emphasized the importance of the meeting in strengthening ties between Indigenous scholars of different ethnicities and universities.
"This event was very important and essential for the state's universities and, especially, for the empowerment of Indigenous students. We discussed our situation, expressed our demands, and, most importantly, demonstrated our presence at the university," he stated.
Crislene Benites, a member of the Guarani people, a student of the Agronomy program at UEMS and also a PIPOU scholarship holder, emphasized that many of the topics covered were new to students like her who face numerous difficulties in the academic space.
“It was great for us to update ourselves and know where and how we should address our daily demands,” he concluded.
This meeting marked a significant moment of knowledge exchange and strengthening of indigenous voices in the academic landscape of Mato Grosso do Sul.
PIPOU, support beyond scholarships
PIPOU's support for the event is part of a program expansion strategy that, in addition to offering scholarships, training activities, and a laptop to Indigenous undergraduate students, also establishes partnerships with universities. The goal is to reach a greater number of Indigenous students through projects that invest in welcoming these students, whether from a pedagogical, social, political, or research perspective. With this initiative, the program also seeks to strengthen public policies that support Indigenous retention in higher education.
PIPOU currently has ninety-five scholarship holders distributed across twenty higher education institutions in various states across the country. These students represent thirty-two Indigenous peoples and are accessing knowledge from diverse academic fields such as medicine, law, social sciences, film and audiovisual, agronomy, and undergraduate studies.
In February 2024, PIPOU signed the first contract under this new venture with Rede de Saberes. The partnership involves the three universities organizing the meeting of indigenous academics from MS, who have accumulated experiencenearly 20 years of experience in affirmative action for Indigenous students entering their universities. Indigenous academic groups participated in the development of the project and defined the proposal together with the professors in charge. Other activities will receive support from PIPOU throughout 2024.
According to Camila Boldrin, technical advisor at ISPN, the partnership aims to contribute to strengthening networking between these universities. Furthermore, in the case of the Mato Grosso do Sul institutions, it's important to highlight how the project's planned activities seek to bring together the region's indigenous communities and academia.
"This is a good example of how efforts to retain Indigenous academics can go beyond university walls," the advisor highlights.
PIPOU is an ISPN initiative with financial support from Vale and other institutions.