Local School - Nossa Senhora das Graças
The Nossa Senhora das Graças School is a municipal institution founded in 1955 and named after the community’s patron saint. It provides formal education for Atodi’s youth, offering classes from preschool through the ninth grade (end of elementary school).
Before Atodi declared itself Indigenous, the school faced constant challenges, both structurally and academically. Meals offered to students were mostly hyper-processed canned foods, with fresh vegetables and meat rarely included. There was also a severe shortage of teachers, many lacking full training. Additionally, the school system failed to recognize diverse learning styles, such as ancestral knowledge present in Atodi’s daily life, which do not align with Brazil’s standardized formal education model.
In 2024, two years after Atodi’s self-declaration, the school underwent building renovations, along with others in the region. Some of these schools did not require structural improvements but received them as part of the then-mayor’s superficial election campaign. On a practical level, the quality of food provided to students also improved significantly, with fresh food now included in lunches.
The curriculum has seen even more meaningful changes. The school is now authorized to have a teacher of Notorious Knowledge on staff—a professional recognized for deep practical and traditional knowledge despite lacking formal academic credentials. This position reflects centuries of Indigenous resistance and the struggle to value Indigenous knowledge. The school also added a teacher of the Nheengatu language, spoken by twelve of the thirteen peoples of the Lower Tapajós as their ancestral Indigenous tongue. Moreover, an all-Indigenous teaching staff is now mandatory, contributing to the revival of local ethnic identity alongside the other improvements.
These advancements in infrastructure and teaching result from years of demands, struggles on various fronts, and ongoing dialogue with the Santarém Municipal Education Department (SEMED).
Despite these significant improvements following self-declaration, the school still faces challenges that hinder the development of critically engaged Indigenous youth proud of their identity. Among these, the lack of a high school in the community forces most students to move to Santarém, far from their territory. Those who do not relocate often end up discontinuing their studies.
