“What it is intended to gather”: child care between the Guarani Mbya

Abstract

Aim: to understand the meanings and re-significances of child care among the Guarani Mbya of Rio Grande do Sul. Method: qualitative research, it was used participant observation with the preparation of field diaries with adults and children during 2012, in an indigenous Guarani Mbya village in Rio Grande do Sul. Field diaries were analyzed according to Minayo’s thematic analysis. Results: the analysis revealed that child-care practices shape and are shaped from the mbya conception of childhood. Children are key social actors for the constitution of care as the forming and unifying bond of society: they teach, learn and care through play. Conclusions: It is concluded that among the Mbya, care for children permeates exchange relationships and kinship organizations, because to stay together, care must be taken. Finally, they teach us the revaluation of care as the foundation of social life.