Every civilization has its beliefs and its stories. Surely at this hour, in the town of Tupinamba in Brazil, a long-awaited moment is being lived with passion and joy. The town is counting the hours until the return, more than three centuries later, of one of its most sacred artifacts: a blanket.
The story. The manta (or cloak/mantle) of the Tupinamba, an indigenous people of Brazil, is a ceremonial garment made of red macaw feathers that is just under 1.8 metres high and features 4,000 red feathers from the scarlet ibis bird. A key item, as it had ritual and symbolic meaning related to social hierarchies and power within the tribe, often used as ceremonial clothing by coastal indigenous peoples.
However, the artifact was seized from the Tupinamba people during the Portuguese colonial period on an expedition to Brazil. In fact, through looting and trade, the Danes appropriated many indigenous objects during their exploration of the New World, and the cloak was one of the most notable for its beauty and rarity.
The artifact in Europe. After the theft, the blanket was taken to the old continent as part of the collection of Frederick III in 1689, although it later passed through various collections of royal museums in Denmark, with the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen being the last owner of one of the few Tupinamba blankets that has survived over time.
Its preservation is a testament to colonial interactions and cultural exchange between Europe and the Americas, though of course over time it also came to symbolize the exploitation and plundering of indigenous cultural heritage. Hence it is the subject of study for its intricate design and its connection to the lost traditions of the Tupinamba.
The return. And so we come to the news of these days. After more than 300 years in “exile”, the artifact returns to its origin. After Denmark announced the return of the tribe’s prestigious treasure (it sent it last July), the blanket was officially presented at a ceremony in Rio de Janeiro attended by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The long wait. There, a group of 200 Tupinambá camped outside the building, with drums and all the honours, hoping to see the precious cloak and reconnect with their ancient traditions. In fact, the media has echoed cases such as that of Yakuy Tupinambá, who travelled more than 1,200 kilometres by bus from the municipality of Olivenca, in the east of the country, to see the garment. I felt sadness and joy. A mix between being born and dying. Our ancestors say that when they (the Europeans) took it from us, our people were left without a direction.”
The Tupinambá leaders say that it is not just about returning the artifacts to their lands of origin, but about recognizing indigenous peoples, their lands and their rights. In this regard, President Lula said that: “I am against the temporal limitation of indigenous land claims. I am in favor of the rights of indigenous peoples to their territory and their culture, as established by the Constitution.”
The importance of the artifact. As Amy Buono, an associate professor of art history at Chapman University, explained to the Guardian, “These cloaks probably functioned as supernatural skins, transferring the life force of one living organism to another. Tupinamba cloaks were one of the most sought-after objects in the early 16th century. Several were worn by courtiers during a 1599 procession at the court of the Duke of Württemberg in Stuttgart.
As for the return, the struggle of the Tupinambá of Olivença for its repatriation began in 2000, when it was loaned for an exhibition in São Paulo. At that time, the Tupinambá were not even officially recognised as an indigenous people; they were even described as extinct in history books. Finally, and after much pressure, they were recognised in 2001. Eight years later, the first step was taken towards the demarcation of their territory: an area of 47,000 hectares covering three municipalities in Bahia.
Now, finally, they have one of their capes.
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