WHAT DO THE STARS IN OUR FLAG STAND FOR ?

This has been Brazil´s official flag since its proclamation of the Republic, in 1889. Designed by painter Devio Vilares, it is comprised of a green rectangle, which stands for the country´s green riches and a yellow lozenge placed within it which represents the mineral riches. Inscribed in the lozange there´s a blue sphere containing 27 stars which depict the states and the federal district. On its original version there were 21 stars displayed according to the sky chart of Rio de Janeiro seen at 8:30 am of the Proclamation of the Republic Day. The wording says: Ordem e Progresso (Order and Progress).

MARK THESE: BLACK GOURDS FROM THE LOWER AMAZON

Photo by Mariana Chama

The black gourds decorated with indigenous motifs typically used to eat tacaca (a soup made of tapioca gum, a native plant jambu, and dry shrimp) in the Brazilian Amazon states, have been recently declared  cultural heritage of the country .  

The Iphan (Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage), through its advisory board for cultural heritage approved the request made in 2010 for acknowledgement of the production process of these utensils as Brazilian heritage. Upon deciding the institute atested to the production of gourds as part of the complex dynamics of colonization and occupation of the Amazon region, and it is directly related to the exploitation of the natural resources available in the Lower Amazon. In the region their use is involved in various activities such as fetching water from the river, bathing, eating and decorating.
 
TECHNIQUE The gourds are usually produced only by women in the region of Santarem and Monte Alegre (PA) where residents are known as PINTA CUIAS (gourd painters) following a technique which is over two centuries old. The fruits of the cuieira, a low and green tree which blooms all year round, are broken in half and dipped in water to soften. 

 Before being dyed with COUMATE, a typical natural pigment of the region the halves undergo a scraping (with large scales of pirarucu fish and leaves of embauba) and are left to dry in the sun. After being  dyed, the bowls will stay six hours muffled by a cloth on a platform consisting of straw, sand, ash and human urine (whereby ammonia is extracted), thus imparting the pigment. Next they are washed in perfumed herbs and are ornamented in a technique which has only become known  in the 20th century.

 SOURCE: FOLHAPRESS

HAVE A PENCHANT FOR INDIANA JONES´s QUESTS?

Then you ought to know the Serra da Capivara National Park, located in the northeastern region of Brazil, with many prehistoric paintings which depict animals, trees, beehives, and scenes of rituals, hunting, violence (even torture), sex, birth, etc.
The region used to be covered by tropical forests and the paintings are in places where the inhabitants would find shelter, in what Brazilians call "boqueirão" (gully, large cave) and "toca" (small cave, den).
The park is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

There is an infinity of tours and trails available. The guides usually  charge the amount of R$ 70 for the day. It may seem a bit pricey, but it is worth it. He picks  you up at the hotel before 7 am and dropps you off after 18h.
There are trails for all tastes, from simple walks that can be done by children and elderly people (including wheelchair access) to more difficult tracks, about 5 hours long.

Photo by Jader N. Santana

For daredevils there is a climb up a giant wall with no lifeline, a thrilling experience. Before climbing the wall (in the Rodrigues Cauldron Trail), listen carefully to the guide's recommendations and make sure that you have no fear of heights. 

TIPS BY JADER N. SANTANA

EXCERPTS TAKEN FROM MARIA-BRAZIL

MUSEUM OF THE MAN OF THE AMERICAS 

MORE BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC / BRASIL

THEY REALLY HAVE A SOLID RYTHM GOING!

 Barbatuques is a group of performers who create music and sounds using their bodies only — so lots of clapping and use of hands and mouths to create amazing sounds. The result? From samba rythms to rap. Children pretty much enjoy taking part in the interactive shows The Barbatuques put on, copying the hand gestures and sounds. Created in 1995 by musician Fernando Barba from Sao Paulo, the group is composed of 15 members (Andre Hosoi, Marcelo Pretto, Andre Venegas, Dani Zulu, Flavia Maia, Giba Alves, John Simon, Lu Horta, Heloiza Ribeiro, Mairah Rock, Mauritius Maas, Renato Epstein, Charles Raszl and Lu Cestari).

Their songs carry the essential nature or character of the Brazilian culture. 

If you have seen RIO 2, the movie, you will most certainly recall one of the songs — ‘Beautiful Creatures’ on the Rio 2 soundtrack, recorded by them, the Barbatuques. 

OFFICIAL SITE

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

 

The Wajapi of the Tupi-guarani cultural-linguistic group are indigenous to the northern Amazonian region. Some 580 Wajapi live in 40 small villages on a specially designated territory in the state of Amapá. The Wajapi have a long history of using vegetable dyes to adorn their bodies and objects with geometric motifs. Over the centuries, they have developed a unique communication system – a rich blend of graphic and verbal components – that reflects their world-view and enables them to hand down knowledge about community life. 

This graphic art is known as kusiwa and its designs are applied with red vegetable dyes extracted from the roucou plant mixed with scented resins. The Wajapi consider that the technical and artistic proficiency required to master the drawing technique and the preparation of the dye cannot be attained before the age of forty. Commonly recurring motifs include the jaguar, anaconda, butterfly and fish. Kusiwa designs refer to the creation of humankind and come alive through a rich corpus of myths. For them, the colours and graphic patterns originate with the first peoples, since before then there was no colour and everyone in the world was equal.This body art, closely linked to Amerindian oral traditions, possesses multiple meanings on socio-cultural, aesthetic, religious and metaphysical levels. Indeed, kusiwa constitutes the very framework of Wajapi society and is endowed with significance extending far beyond its role as a graphic art form. This coded repertory of traditional knowledge is perpetually evolving as indigenous artists are constantly reconfiguring the motifs and inventing new patterns.

 

 

For its exceptional value and great tradition, the Kusiwa  art was registered as cultural heritage of Brasil in 2002 and also declared by UNESCO (World Heritage Centre) an oral and intangible heritage of the humanity in 2003.

 

 

SOURCE: UNESCO

 

LOVE BEING OUTDOORSY?

Imagine visiting indigenous reservations, going on ecology-themed hikes, enjoying a trike flight over the city of Porto Velho, over the waterfalls of Teotônio and Santo Antônio, seeing the Madeira-Mamore railway station amidst the jungle, the Cathedral, and the Samuel Hydroelectric Power Plant, and eventually coming across a large snake.

Porto Velho (Old Port) is the capital of the Brazilian state of Rondonia, in the upper Amazon River basin. The population is 426,558 people (according to the 2010 census). Located on the border of Rondônia and the state of Amazonas, the town is an important trading center for cassiterite, the mining of which represents the most important economic activity in the region, as well as a transportation and communication center. It is located on the eastern shore of the Madeira River, one of the main tributaries of the Amazon River. It is also Rondonia's largest city, and the largest state capital of Brazil (by area).

Shoals of fish going upstream during spawning

Inner view of capital´s cathedral

 
 
 

Santo Antonio´s hydroelectric plant

 

Archeological findings near the capital

 



Suruí, Gavião e Uru-eu-wau-wau

Surui, Gavião and Uru-eu-wau-wau tribes

Uru-eu-wau-wau

 Indigenous People of Rondônia:
 Aikanã, Ajuru, Amondawa, Arara, Arikapu, Ariken, Aruá, Cinta Larga, Gavião, Jabuti, Kanoê, Karipuna, Karitiana, Kaxarari, Koiaiá, Kujubim, Makuráp, Mekén, Mutum, Nambikwara, Pakaanova, Paumelenho, Sakurabiat, Suruí, Tupari, Uru Eu Wau Wau, Urubu, Urupá
 
AERIAL PHOTOS

Source: Wikipédia

Photo by Agencia Brasil

HIS TATTOOS TOTALLY RAISE THE BAR

Meet Victor Montaghini´s work. He is a Brazilian illustrator who has excelled in contemporary tattoos. The artist has his own style, mixing sketches, watercolors, pointillism and new school. His clients are mostly advertisers , art directors , artists or people somehow connected to art. And the waiting line may take years.



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