Saberes indígenas: usos e significações das plantas medicinais na comunidade Kaingang da terra indígena Rio das Cobras, Nova Laranjeiras, PR

Abstract

This work deals with issues related to medicinal plants, as well as their different uses in the Kaingang culture, in addition, the research seeks to highlight the attention to the preservation of medicinal plants within indigenous schools. Therefore, the focus of this research is to highlight the issue of the use of medicinal plants in the Kaingang culture of the Rio das Cobras indigenous land, located in the municipality of Nova Laranjeiras, in the state of Paraná, where indigenous people of the Kaingang and Guarani ethnicities reside, with greater Kaingang presence. In this sense, we contextualize issues that begin in the historical processo of indigenous ancestry to the present day. Thus, seek to presente the context and the symbologies of different meanings og the plants used by the Kaingang peaple in the different physical or spiritual cures. Based on this analysis, the text focuses on the interpenetrations between the different domains of the Kaingang cosmos, mainly describing the ritualistic system as a mediator between domains of the beings of nature. at the same time, constitutes of “nature” of Kaingang society, reflectting on its dualist cosmological conception which emphasizes the ferrtility of the junction of principles perceived as contrary in tribal marks in the relationship of indigenous cosmology on the different cures through plants. However, he increasing integration that occurs between indigenous communitions and non-indigenous society throughout Brazil contributes to the loss of millenary knowledge of indigenous cultures to which new elements are incorporated in this cultural dynamic. We still have to mention the insertion of conventional medicine or biomedicine (mainly in the formo of chemical medicines made in laboratories) in the indigenous community through government health programs, which have contributed to the weakening of the use of medicinal plants. Therefore, we seek to highlight in this work some alternatives for the preservation of Kaingang medicinal plants so that in a way the work can contribute to the strengthening and importance to the Kaingang community of the Rio das Cobras indigenous land, to the valorization of its culture and its millenary knowledge.