Motherland is an ongoing series shot in Brazil, aims to explore the idea of reconnecting with one’s heritage and the significance that our history and where we come from has on our lives.
In Brazil, the majority of the indigenous population is distributed among thousands of villages located within indigenous lands (TIs). Over half of the indigenous population is located in the northern Amazon states and the northeast of the country. However, there is also a considerable portion of the indigenous population concentrated in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo.
The village of Tekoa Pyau, located in the west zone of the city of São Paulo, belongs to the villages of Jaraguá, which is close to the peak of Jaraguá. Tekoa Pyau is still not legally owned by the indigenous people who inhabit it. While the government assumes responsibility for providing basic healthcare, education, and food, the living conditions in the village are extremely challenging, and there is little prospect of life improvement. The community’s historical methods for subsistence have been severely impacted by pollution in the river that snakes through the village. This has also affected the land and the ability of the villagers to farm in the area.
An important part of the culture within Tekoa Pyau and the surrounding villages is the preservation of its traditions. The villagers speak Tupi-Guarani, and music is used as a way to express and remember the community’s spirituality and heritage. The use of clay as part of the housing within the village is a nod to their collective past. Villagers in Tekoa Pyau supplement the government assistance they receive by selling traditional handicrafts.
Modern technology is present within Tekoa Pyau, but its use is not intended to be a catalyst for change or betterment. Instead, it simply provides a glimpse of the outside world beyond the community, thereby serving as a reminder of the inescapable cycle of repetition that each generation of this vulnerable community seems certain to repeat, as they remain neither fully immersed in their own world and culture nor able to partake in the world beyond.
