Brincar tambor: uma etnografia das aprendizagens dos Tamborzeiros de Nossa Senhora do Rosário no Vale do Jequitinhonha, Araçuaí/MG

Abstract

This research investigates the learning processes of the “Tamborzeiros” of Nossa Senhora do Rosário in Araçuaí/MG, highlighting the centrality of ritual practices within the context of Black brotherhoods in the Jequitinhonha Valley. Based on ethnographic work conducted between 2019 and 2024, it explores how children and adults become members of the group through the dynamics of "Brincar Tambor” , understood as relational and situated learning that is deeply interconnected with ancestry and community life. Anchored in the frameworks of situated learning (Lave and Wenger, 1991) and the education of attention (Ingold, 2000), the research analyzes the rhythms, relationships, and materialities that structure the “Tamborzeiros” field of practice. The study critiques the notion of intergenerational transmission as an exclusively vertical process, demonstrating that learning occurs fluidly and is mediated by interactions among peers, adults, children, and the material elements of the ritual. It emphasizes the active role of children in preserving and reinventing cultural traditions, deconstructing the view of children as passive agents and revealing their active participation in the context of Black brotherhoods. Positioned at the intersection of Anthropology and Education, this investigation contributes to understanding the ways individuals learn and become “tamborzeiros” within ritual performances, engaging in an interdisciplinary dialogue that enriches the comprehension of Afro-diasporic practices in Brazil.