We are the forest. And the forest is us
Indigenous languages are riches from the original people, as they are knowledge, ways of expressing their traditions, word crafts, and cosmologies. There are an estimated 200 indigenous languages spoken in Brazil.
In this exhibit room, there are 172 indigenous languages from the Amazon, represented by the darkest plaques. Some reveal common origins and are part of the same family (medium-colored plaques). When families are of a common origin, back from thousands of years ago, they are connected by linguistic branches (lighter-colored plaques). The lines connecting the languages are only artistic representations of the connections. There are also isolated languages, which do not belong to any known language family.
The transparent plaques represent languages spoken by isolated indigenous peoples, still little known.
The indigenous people are so deeply linked to the forest, they go way beyond the boundaries of inhabit. They are the forest. You can hear the message, “We are the forest. And the forest is us”, inspired by the initiatives of the Social-environmental Institute (ISA), by the voice of seven indigenous people expressed in their traditional languages and Portuguese. They are the following:
Barnabé Campos Sampaio, a student – Koaiwana Ye’pâ-Masa, from the Eastern Tukano family
Bruce Kuikuro, professor – Kuikuro, the Karib family
Delly Maria, student and craftsperson – Baniwa, the Aruak family
Elizete Tikuna, indigenous artist – Tikuna, an isolated language
Francisco Piyãko, Ashaninka leadership – Kampa (Ashaninka), the Aruak family
Jardeline Costa, professor and president of the Kokama Indian Association – Kokama, the Mawetí Guaraní family, Tupi branch
Samuel Yriwana Karajá, the Kuryala village chief and administrative supervisor – Karajá, the Karajá family, Macro-Jê branch
