Social Museology and the Iny Karajá Health Campaign in Brazil

Abstract

Drawing on Social Museology principles, this document presents and analyses the activities carried out in 2020 as part of the Karajá Presence Research Project, launched in 2017, into material culture, fabric, and colonial transits. We show how the mapping and study of collections of indigenous artifacts led to a health campaign in support of the Iny Karajá people. This group holds the knowledge related to the production of ritxoko, clay dolls which are the subject of our investigation. Furthermore, we share our understanding that life is the most significant heritage. Working for the survival of biological and cultural diversity must be a non-negotiable commitment of Museology since it is a domain that looks at the fate of things and their continuity.

Iny Karajá Presence: Material and Visual Culture of Ritxoko Dolls in Museums

“…At the beginning of the Covid‐19 pandemic and before the Iny Karajá villages were affected causing several deaths (Duarte Cândido, Martins et al., 2021; Duarte Cândido, Dias Vial et al., 2021), the project team decided to carry out a crowdfunding campaign to purchase personal protective equipment against Covid to the indigenous. After the initial publicity of the campaign, indigenous representatives requested specific materials to equip sanitary barriers at village entrances and equipment for health posts and improvised field hospitals when the pandemic spread to the villages.…”

“…The solutions suggested by the museum were discussed: whether or not to recreate the vegetable fiber loincloth that had been lost in the museum, to make visible the repairs made to the broken parts of the clay piece, etc. (Duarte Cândido, Dias Vial et al, 2021).…”

Presença Iny Karajá: Cultura material e visual das bonecas Ritxoko em museus

“…As soluc ßões sugeridas pelo museu foram discutidas: recriar ou não a tanga de fibra vegetal que havia sido perdida no museu, tornar vis ıveis os reparos feitos nas partes quebradas da pec ßa de barro, etc. (Duarte Cândido, Dias Vial, et al, 2021).…”

“…No início da pandemia Covid‐19 e antes que as aldeias Iny Karajá fossem afetadas causando várias mortes (Duarte Cândido, Dias Vial, et al., 2021; Duarte Cândido, Martins, & Vial, 2021), a equipe do projeto decidiu realizar uma campanha de financiamento coletivo para comprar equipamento de proteção contra a Covid para os indígenas. Após a divulgação inicial da campanha, representantes indígenas solicitaram materiais específicos para equipar as barreiras sanitárias nas entradas das aldeias e equipamentos para postos de saúde e hospitais de campanha improvisados quando a pandemia se espalhou para as aldeias.…”