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Ceremonial life

 

The funerary ritual of the Bororo (State of Mato Grosso) is a special moment of socialization for the young. Not only because many of them are formally initiated then, but also because it is through their participation in the collective chants, dances and hunting and fishing expeditions that they have the opportunity of learning and grasping the wealth of their culture. Photo: Kim-Ir-Sam, 1973.

 

In the log race, which is associated with several rituals, the Krahó of the State of Tocantins form two groups, called 'halves'. Each of them carries a section of the trunk of a buriti palm (or another tree), whose format, size and decoration may vary. The Krahó are a Timbira group of the Jê linguistic family. Other Timbira and Jê peoples also perform the log race. Photo: Michel Pellanders, 1989.

 

Among the Kanela (State of Maranhão), a Timbira group, boys are introduced to their age class through several initiation rituals, intended to train them to become warriors. Traditionally, the coming of age of the girls is associated with a maturity belt, required before they get married. Photo: William Crocker, 1975.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the yãkwa, a ritual performed by the Enawenê-Nawê of the State of Mato Grosso, the villagers, divided in clans, exchange food, chants and dances. The ritual, which lasts several months and has two phases, aims at putting into practice the teachings of the underground spirits, yakairiti. Photo: Vincent Carelli, n/d.

The first initiation of the Karajá boys, from the States of Mato Grosso and Tocantins), takes place when they are around seven or eight years old. It consists of the perforation of the lower lip, which will receive an ornament. The perforation is made with a monkey's collarbone, and is performed in front of the parents. Photo: Cláudia Andujar, n/d.

 

 

 

The entity called letani is part of the hetohok ('large house') ritual of the Javaé, from the State of Tocantins. The Javaé resumed this traditional ritual, which marks the entry of the young men into the world of the house of men, in the 1990's. Photo: Patrícia de Mendonça Rodrigues, n/d.

 

 

 

At the Toototobi hut, of theYanomami of the State of Amazonas, men participate of a session with the hallucinogenic powder, yãkuãna. Very much present in the initiation of the yanomami shamans, it can be taken only with the supervision of older shamans. Photo: Milton Guran, 1991.

 

Xingu men participate of the huka-huka in the village of the Yawalapiti, in the State of Mato Grosso. This contest is part of the intertribal ritual called kwarúp, performed to honor the dead of the various groups that live in the Upper Xingu River region. Photo: Milton Guran/ 1985.

The 'fools' (bobotegi) are characters of the 'boat celebration' held by the Kadiwéu. The history of this long ritual goes back to the Paraguayan War (1864-1870), when Kadiwéu men fought on the side of Brazil. Photo: Mônica Pechincha, 1992.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In spite of being 'exiled' in the city of São Paulo, the Pankararu, who have migrated from the State of Pernambuco, continue to hold their ceremonies, chants and dances. Photo: Marcos Issa,1996.