BRAZIL YOUNG AMBASSADORS PROGRAM
YAP - BR
Hagaka Project
Hagaka is the name of the ritual of the archers of Alto Xingú. This tradition is an inter-tribal ritual involving the communities of the Upper Xingú.
In this ritual we sing and dance in honor of the great archers who passed away. In the ritual we burn the warriors' bows so that the bows pass to the spiritual plane together with their owner.
The project seeks to offer an ethnotourist package, which will include transport from Querência to Aldeia Matipú in Alto Xingú, food, accommodation in the village itself and an indigenous guide.
The project seeks the recovery of ancestry in the Upper Xingú and the appreciation of our culture.
My story
My name is Kaluhi Matipú and I am 23 years old. I was born in Alto Xingú and today I live in Canarana. I am a Young Ambassador and I represent my Matipú Village. Today I run in search of tourism partnerships for my village. My dream is to take tourists and important people to my community to show my culture and ancestry to understand and appreciate our lifestyle in the village. I am traveling to cities like São Paulo to seek partnerships and I became a Youth Ambassador for my community to make a positive impact for my relatives. I worked in the city to try to raise money to help my community and to understand how non-indigenous people think and break the prejudice that exists against my community.
My community is called Matipú and is located in Alto Xingu. In my village of Kalapalo, I have great admiration for the chief Tafukuma, he is respected by the entire community of Alto Xingú for being a great leader. An important tradition in our community is the archery ritual. Because it doesn't happen often, I'm afraid the tradition will die. Hagaka is the name of this ritual. In this ritual, we honor the great archers who died and we burn the warriors' bows so that the bows pass to the spiritual plane together with their owner. However, many indigenous people do not understand the culture and do not value it, so it is important to promote cultural events that strengthen and bring value to our culture.
Many indigenous people do not have the opportunity to learn and understand themselves. Because of this problem, our culture is weakening. 5 years ago I started noticing this problem when I became an adult. The imposition of non-indigenous culture and prejudice against our culture by those who do not understand its value are to blame for this problem. I believe that the chiefs and the community itself should be actively working to solve this problem. That's why I'm looking for partnerships to stimulate our culture. Those most affected by this problem are young people who are not having the opportunity to experience our rich culture that is already millenary. Now, there are fewer cultural events, for example, this year we didn't have the Moitara party that should take place every year to strengthen ties between the villages of Alto Xingú. It has affected me and I feel weak and sad. So we're getting together to try to bring back lost traditions. Without culture, the indigenous person loses their identity, loses everything and is nothing.