DOING AS PRODUCTION OF LIFE: DAILY LIFE, WELL-BEING, AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY IN A KIRIRI INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY

Abstract

In the daily lives of indigenous communities, artistic practices, handicrafts, and specific bodily expressions are fundamental modes of life production, knowledge transmission, and cultural affirmation. In the Kiriri indigenous community, these practices express unique forms of social, political, and symbolic organization, aligned with the perspective of Good Living (Buen Vivir) and resistance against historical processes of silencing and cultural hierarchization. This study aimed to understand, from the perspective of the Kiriri community members themselves, how "doing" is configured in daily life and what social relations are produced and sustained in these practices. This is an exploratory study, based on the participatory research approach, which allowed the researcher to be immersed in the community's daily life, respecting local modes of knowledge production. Data production occurred through informal conversations, field diaries, and photographic records, with analysis performed using content analysis of the participants' narratives. The results show that indigenous daily life is organized according to a logic distinct from hegemonic productivism, guided by a "doing" that articulates human and non-human dimensions, sustained by affectivity, collectivity, and the relationship with the territory. This way of living reveals practices of (re)existence that produce meaning, identity, and cultural continuity, engaging with principles of Occupational Therapy by understanding daily doing as a space for the production of life, bonds, care, and social participation, both individually and collectively.