Entre o evangelho e o ensino : o Colégio Presbiteriano Buriti (1923-1965)

Abstract

A century ago Cuiaba got a Presbyterian Central Brazil Mission survey looking for best places to create new mission headquarters able to offer mission work like evangelization, nursery, education and agriculture teaching. It was resolved start a reformed Presbyterian church in Cuiaba and Chapada dos Guimarães was choose to set the new mission station and from there all supporting mission work will come from: hospital, evangelization, a primary school, and a farm-school. So Central Brazil Mission bought the Burity Farm and set the Buriti Evangelical School in 1923. The school doors were opened for all students no matter which were their religions convictions. Issues like Romanism, logistics, sanitation, culture, finances, and confessional questions sometimes worked together and sometimes worked alone. In Brazil since 1859 Presbyterian Missions had a kind know-how when reached Mato Grosso and used it on Buriti Mission Station by working with press publication and filling spaces on local culture. After 80 years educational highlights meanwhile medical, religious and agriculture stands back for two first. Over these years school jumped from a small beginning to a increasing social acceptance and influence getting official government status in 1965 taken as our chronological limit on this research. Lay on historiography investigation method we consider here documental sources put together and scanned in research process likes minutes, letters, reports, brochures, etc.. Also use public collections as Mato Grosso State Public Archive (Arquivo Público do Estado de Mato Grosso - APMT); Information and Documentation Center of Local History (Núcleo de Documentação e Informação Histórica Regional - NDIHR); Barão de Melgaço Mansion Archive (Arquivo da Casa Barão de Melgaço - ACBM). We also included digital newspapers collections available at Hemeroteca Digital Brasileira from National Library Foundation (Fundação Biblioteca Nacional - FNB). Under assumptions of Educational Institutions theory field our analyses has shown that Buriti Farm School was not wholly set aside from cultural mainstream on that time (1923-1965). We realize that religious items were there but not as central purpose of this protestant institution. As first non-Romanist private school at Cuiaba, its design was quite like the republican agenda even after headquarters were moved to Chapada. Buildings, campus occupation, time issues and informal aspects like home environment at school were key process that made Buriti School to be well know and well come at Cuiabá educational scenario.