Responsáveis: Antonio Guerreiro, Marina Pereira Novo e Ugise Kalapalo

Agência de fomento: Firebird Foundation for Anthropological Research (EUA)

Resumo: The aim of this project is to document and investigate the traditional ecological knowledge associated with the Hüge Oto ("Master of Arrows") ritual among the Kalapalo, one of the Carib-speaking peoples of the Upper Xingu (Southern Amazon, Brazil). This is an interethnic ritual marked by a multilingual repertoire, bringing together elements of Carib and Arawak languages from the region. Its songs, performed continuously for a day and a night, are all sung from the perspective of animals about their relationships with other beings, containing a complex reflection on the ecology of the region. Hüge Oto is part of an intricate ritual system, consisting of about 15 types of intra- and inter-ethnic events that connect the ten peoples of the Upper Xingu in a unique multiethnic and multilingual ritual polity in the Amazonian context. This ritual is at serious risk of disappearing, as its last performance among the Kalapalo was in 1996, and currently only two men know its repertoire in its entirety. This is intended to be a pilot project concomitant with the creation of the Aulukumã Center for Research, Education, and Culture, a nonprofit community organization to be based in Aiha, the main Kalapalo village. This organization aims to be a hub for community research activities; a local access point to a future collection of oral literature and traditional knowledge; and a reference source for integrating traditional knowledge into Kalapalo indigenous schools. With this project, a first team of indigenous researchers will be trained in field methods, and in preservation and handling of digital collections, generating the necessary conditions for the creation of the Center and the future development of autonomous initiatives.