English version

Propositions regarding Language Policy for the Kaingang language

From the studies and discussions which took place during the First International Symposium on Kaingang Language (ISKL-I) held at UNICAMP (Campinas, SP), from 20 to 23 August 2012, with the presence and contribution of many researchers of this language, and Kaingang speakers from Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná and São Paulo, we register in this document a set of necessary conclusions regarding a Language Policy for the Kaingang communities.

These conclusions assume the principle that the indigenous language is a fundamental part of the way of being in the world, i.e., the culture of the people (which the Kaingang call “kanhgág jykre”), and our own identity. We understand that the very language of an indigenous people is the best and most appropriate means of expressing their feelings, their way of putting themselves before the environment and the other societies. For all these reasons, we believe that:

– the strengthening and maintenance of Kaingang language in our communities is the fundamental principle for a language policy for our people.

– in the Kaingang indigenous schools, the language of instruction must be our language.

– the subject “Kaingang Language” (or “Familiar Language” = “Indigenous language”) should integrate the curriculum of primary schools as a compulsory subject, with the same weight and importance as the studies of Portuguese, and as such, it must be integrated in bulletins, student records and other instruments for student assessment.

– in training of indigenous professionals (in education or other areas), the indigenous language must be prioritized as a means of communication and as language of instruction, even if  interpreters are needed.

– It is essential to plan and develop actions for specific training of bilingual teachers for the language teaching of Kaingang, from literacy levels to text work, grammar and literature in the final grades of elementary school.

– It is also essential to perform specific training for teachers of Kaingang as a second language (L2), to meet cases of communities that have specific sociolinguistic reality.

– the teaching of Portuguese as a second language, in Indian schools, must be implemented with the proper training of professionals for this purpose.

– in compliance with the constitutional right of indigenous communities to employ, at school, their own methods and principles of teaching and learning, the ability and the importance of the elderly for the Indian schools must be recognized. Experts at their culture, and native speakers of the indigenous language, they are bearers of “notorious knowledge”, which is independent from schooling backgrounds.

– it is the duty of States to promote the training of indigenous teachers to produce educational materials in Kaingang language, seeking specific qualified consulting, as well as to provide funds for the production and publishing of such material for use in Indian schools.

– the actions for strengthening of the indigenous language cannot be confined to the school environment and the interior of indigenous communities; initiatives that enhance the use and the diffusion of the Kaingang tongue in all media, such as radio, newspaper, television and the internet are also important.

– in the management of indigenous education in the state and in their respective regions, the presence and participation of indigenous professionals will be prioritized.

-Indigenous professionals who work in schools in their own communities must be valued and safeguarded by the issuing of public tenders and career paths that meet the specificities of indigenous education.

– the public education policies directed towards indigenous communities must be permanent and not dependent on government programs that alternate without continuity. Ways to achieve this claim may be the creation of a Chair of indigenous representation in the State Councils of Education, or even creating, within these Councils, a specific Chamber for the Indigenous Education.

                                                           Campinas, SP, (Brazil), 23 August, 2012