The babaçu in the schoolyard: (re) enchanting science in physical education

Abstract

This article analyzes the integration of territorial knowledge and Afro-Brazilian games into the Physical Education curriculum, focusing on the babaçu spinning top as its central object. The core problem lies in the invisibility of ancestral technologies from Maranhão in favor of a Eurocentric curricular matrix that silences local knowledge. The methodology is characterized as qualitative action research, conducted with first-year high school students at a public school in São José de Ribamar, Maranhão. The intervention involved dialogues about the babaçu palm tree located in the schoolyard and the crafting of artisanal spinning tops with the help of family members. The results indicate that the practice promoted the "re-enchantment" of school science, allowing students to recognize the territory as a producer of technological and historical knowledge. It is concluded that valuing local epistemologies is essential for achieving cognitive justice and an anti-racist education that dialogues with the students' identity and reality.