EDUCATION IN THE HEART OF THE AMAZON: THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF MARAJOARA WRESTLING IN THE CONTEXT OF THE FESTIVAL OF THE GLORIOUS SAINT SEBASTIAN OF CACHOEIRA DO ARARI

Andrade W.A.G.; Carvalho N.C. · Margens (2025) · DOI: 10.18542/rmi.v19i33.18231

Resumen

The research aimed to understand how the teaching and learning process of Marajoara Wrestling takes place in the context of a festivity in honor of São Sebastião, held in Cachoeira do Arari, a municipality located on Marajó Island in northern Brazil. Methodologically, a qualitative approach was adopted, with Ethnomethodology as the guiding method. To collect data, participant observations were conducted, along with semistructured interviews with local fighters from Cachoeira. The results suggest that the teaching and learning of Marajoara Wrestling is a continuous process, built in the various environments where this form of wrestling manifests. In these different spaces, including the festival context, Marajoara Wrestling can be learned and taught through an “education of attention”, a process in which an experienced wrestler demonstrates a particular fighting skill to a beginner, allowing them to observe, listen, imitate, and thus learn. © (2025), (Universidade Federal Do Para), All Rights Reserved.