The clay is the color of my skin, I slip hard and no one sees”: the play and the relationships of belonging of Amazonian children with nature

Abstract

Slipping on the mud, playing in the dirt, diving into the river, hanging from the trees, is where the learning that the Amazonian child claims to be nature emerges, as they feel play is connected to life. This article is based on a master's degree study carried out with 4- and 5-year-old children from the Betel community, located in the interior of Amazonas. Anchored in ethnography in movement and interdisciplinary studies of childhood, this study aims to share how playing with nature shapes forms of belonging and cultural production in Amazonian childhood. The children were considered co-researchers and used photos, videos and conversations as ways of expressing their knowledge and cultures. The results reveal that sliding in the mud, diving in the river and climbing trees are not just games, but ways of affirming belonging, culture, and identity. The study values play as a cultural practice and as an expression of the relationship between body, territory, and nature.