An autoethnographic and intersectional perspective about knowledge’s pregnancy in the Kaiowá collective

Abstract

The process of caregiving is complex and encompasses different disciplines and cultures, and its logic and existence are interdisciplinary and transcultural. When a person comes into contact with someone in need of care, there is a convergence and articulation of two knowledge universes: the knowledge of the caregiver and the experience of the care recipient. Based on this context, the research proposal emerged with the aim of understanding, through an autoethnographic and intersectional methodological approach, how the Kaiowá collective understands and integrates their knowledge regarding pregnancy. Lídice Cavanha, a Kaiowá indigenous individual and a nursing student at UEMS, interviewed older men and women from her community about caregiving. The research revealed that there are bureaucratic and legal processes inherent to Western non-indigenous culture that are not relevant to the Kaiowá. These elements relegate the way this people perceive and live in the world to a secondary position, resulting in various forms of violence that disrespect and harm their identities, compelling them to adopt a lifestyle that does not reflect their essence. Furthermore, this practice involves forms of cultural appropriation that devalue indigenous knowledge while utilizing it in the name of childbirth humanization, introducing techniques and principles from this culture without acknowledging it. It is important to highlight the relevance of anthropological knowledge as an element of care humanization, as it enables the understanding and appreciation of historical pluralism.