Ceremonial Closing of Ernesto Neto and the Huni Kuin: Aru Kuxipa | Sacred Secret
© Natalie Badr/TBA21, 2015
Five months after opening the collaborative exhibition Ernesto Neto and the Huni Kuin: Aru Kuxipa | Sacred Secret, the third delegation of Huni Kuin of Jordão and Ernesto Neto have been invited to return to Vienna for a final activation and closing, to pay homage, and continue the transformations initiated in NixiForestKupiXawa, the exhibition’s central space of gathering.
This extensive and immersive space, borrowing the shape of a kupixawa (or maloca), has been inhabited and activated in three phases: initially a delegation of the elders and pajés (shamans) spiritually inaugurated the exhibition in the early summer; secondly a group of youngsters filled the space around the notion of Xina Bena, discussing political, ecological, spiritual, and cultural challenges and re-newels of their peoples in the 21st century, and deepening processes of encounter and mutual learning in September; thirdly Txana Bane, Leopardo Yawa Bane, Tadeu Siã, and Ayani Huni Kuin now offer another and final opportunity to get to know their rich traditions and particular perspective of the world and universe. These young leaders pick up on prolific intersections between cosmovision and politics to mark the turning point of profound re-consideration and crisis.
This final program bridges series of activations of the space at and around Augarten and the climate summit COP21 in Paris, where the Huni Kuin, supported by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, partake in some pivotal events and entry points of indigenous ontologies, cosmovisions, and voices into a novel planetary consciousness.
This extensive and immersive space, borrowing the shape of a kupixawa (or maloca), has been inhabited and activated in three phases: initially a delegation of the elders and pajés (shamans) spiritually inaugurated the exhibition in the early summer; secondly a group of youngsters filled the space around the notion of Xina Bena, discussing political, ecological, spiritual, and cultural challenges and re-newels of their peoples in the 21st century, and deepening processes of encounter and mutual learning in September; thirdly Txana Bane, Leopardo Yawa Bane, Tadeu Siã, and Ayani Huni Kuin now offer another and final opportunity to get to know their rich traditions and particular perspective of the world and universe. These young leaders pick up on prolific intersections between cosmovision and politics to mark the turning point of profound re-consideration and crisis.
This final program bridges series of activations of the space at and around Augarten and the climate summit COP21 in Paris, where the Huni Kuin, supported by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, partake in some pivotal events and entry points of indigenous ontologies, cosmovisions, and voices into a novel planetary consciousness.
Wednesday, November 25
Huni Kuin Ancestral Chants and Dances
Tadeu Siã, Ayani, Txana Bane and Leopardo Yawa Bane lead a performative afternoon dedicated to the abundance of chants and dances, performed by the Huni Kuin. They will explore their rich meanings within ancestral tradition, their histories, ideas around generational transmissions, and contemporary transformations.
Thursday, November 26
Ancestral Arts, Body Painting and Kené
Healing, curing, and protecting, takes different forms and includes a variety of plants as well as chanting or body paintings of plant ink of the annatto and genipapo that are used to paint the sacred geometric designs onto the skin.
Tadeu Siã and Ayani present the art of genipapo and different meanings of remedies, applications, methods that are expressions and re-alignments of a person’s or communities’ relationships to each other, nature, animals, and the forest.
A workshop on the art of body painting. Plant ink of the annatto and genipapo are used to paint the sacred geometric designs onto the skin. These designs are a crucial element in the beauty of persons and things. Ayani teaches this ancestral technique and its multitude of motifs, their histories, and powers.
Tadeu Siã and Ayani present the art of genipapo and different meanings of remedies, applications, methods that are expressions and re-alignments of a person’s or communities’ relationships to each other, nature, animals, and the forest.
A workshop on the art of body painting. Plant ink of the annatto and genipapo are used to paint the sacred geometric designs onto the skin. These designs are a crucial element in the beauty of persons and things. Ayani teaches this ancestral technique and its multitude of motifs, their histories, and powers.
Screening: “Kené Yuxin—the turns of Kené” by Zenzinho Yube
This film follows Zezinho Yube’s mother, Maria Ayani, in the search of these sacred geometric patterns and lost knowledge that opens up past losses and future challenges to safeguard ancestral traditions in generational transmissions and through contemporary transformations.
Friday, November 27
Una Isi Kayawa (“book of healing”)
Tadeu Siã and Ayani present their extensive healing traditions, focusing on nixi pae (ayahuasca), shamanism, forest medicine, the understanding of curing and healing, and the importance of Una Isi Kayawa (the “book of healing”). This book was conceived in a dream by the pajé Agostinho Ĩka Muru, father of Tadeu Sia and Ayani, who has documented the sacred Huni Kuin knowledge of medicinal plants for thirty years, attempting to preserve it for future generations.
Screening “Ma Ê Dami Xina—Já me transformei em imagem” by Zezinho Yube
This film that translates into „I’ve already become an Image“ by Zezinho Yube was shown at Berlin Biennale in 2015. The film narrates through the history of the Huni Kuin people and their cultural resurgences in five stages.
Saturday, November 28
5-7 PM Indigenous Knowledge, Planetary Consciousness, and Xina Bena
Returning from an official participation in the UNESCO conference “Resilience in a time of uncertainty: Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change” that takes place in the framework of COP21 in Paris between November 26 and 27, Txana Bane and Leopardo Yawa Bane share their experience of this pioneering effort to create novel influence of indigenous knowledge and voices.
Leopardo Yawa Bane is the brother of Txana Bane and son of Siã, the current cacique (leader) of the Huni Kuin. He is a community leader who has dedicated his life to preserving traditional knowledge and working on behalf of Indigenous People to secure rights and political representation and to establish reforestation programs to combat climate change. He contributed a semi autobiographical text to the catalogue, Xina Bena—A Bridge between Two Worlds, which describes his journey and political struggles.
Leopardo Yawa Bane is the brother of Txana Bane and son of Siã, the current cacique (leader) of the Huni Kuin. He is a community leader who has dedicated his life to preserving traditional knowledge and working on behalf of Indigenous People to secure rights and political representation and to establish reforestation programs to combat climate change. He contributed a semi autobiographical text to the catalogue, Xina Bena—A Bridge between Two Worlds, which describes his journey and political struggles.
Sunday, November 29
March for Climate Change12.30 pm departing from Sigmund Freud Platz, Vienna
Until the recent atrocities of Paris, the Huni Kuin were asked to lead the Global Climate March, initiated simultaneously in hundreds of places around the globe, with its main place of action in Paris during COP21. The Huni Kuin and Ernesto Neto now carry this sign of people-powered demands for the planet, to be protected from the ravages of climate change, where everyone has a right to food, water, clean air, and a healthy life, making clear that these concerns are as much their own as shared planetary, in Vienna.
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1190192404328590/
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1190192404328590/
The Huni Kuin and Ernesto Neto invite the public for a ceremonial gathering in the spirit of COP21 at TBA21-Augarten at 4 PM.