[Reducing the inequalities experienced by an indigenous community in Brazil: The social role of the university].

The objective of this article is to describe and analyse the actions developed by a health promotion programme between 2013 and 2014 in an indigenous Kiriri community in Bahia, Brazil. One of the specificities of the programme was that it was conducted in the context of the extension activities of Brazilian universities. This programme illustrates the actions of extension, a longstanding social function of Brazilian universities and the value of involving the university in community health actions.Based on the action research methodology, the project was designed to stimulate reflection on the broader concept of health and its social determinants, developing the link between the various languages and cultures based on social mobilization around health promotion and to promote respect for cultural diversity. The programme's actions allowed production of knowledge concerning the living conditions of the indigenous community and a dialogue between scientific knowledge and popular knowledge, appropriation of existing public policies by the population, and also a change in the population's perception of health, extending beyond the biomedical view and taking living conditions into account as determinants of health.