MANAUS, Brazil — Proudly donning majestic feathered headdresses, models sing an ode to
the rain while a makeup artist draws geometric patterns on their faces, arms,
and thighs in preparation for
Brazil’s first-ever indigenous fashion show.
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“It is a feeling
of happiness and pride,” 19-year-old model Moan Munduruku told AFP ahead of his
turn on the catwalk in Manaus in the Brazilian Amazon.
“We are very eager
to show our talent, in sewing, in crafts. To show the world that indigenous
people can also succeed” in fashion, he said.
Indigenous model Iaro Arupy, of the Sateré-Mawé tribe, poses during a fashion event in Manaus, Amazon on April 9, 2022.
Moan is one of 37
models — women and men — representing 15 indigenous groups of Brazil to take
part in the month-long Intercultural Exhibition of Indigenous Fashion in the
Brazilian Amazon’s largest city.
For the entire
month of April, the catwalk is to host the creations of 29 indigenous
designers.
“It’s a form of
resistance, a way to overcome stereotypes,” event organizer Reby Ferreira, 27,
told AFP.
Our goal is for everyone to feel included and to show our culture to everyone through these clothes.
“Here in Manaus,
unfortunately, many people are ashamed or even afraid to recognize that they
have indigenous blood. Our goal is for everyone to feel included and to show
our culture to everyone through these clothes.”
The designers use
natural elements in their creations, including the spear-like teeth of the
peccary — an Amazonian boar — the red guarana fruit, acai seeds, and coconut
shells.
The same geometric
patterns sported by the models are repeated in the fabrics that envelop them.
“My outfit evokes
the (coming-of-age) ritual of the Ticuna girl,” said Kimpuramana, a 17-year-old
model sporting a white dress adorned with black diagonal stripes.
On the runway, a
presenter announces the ethnicity of each model and explains the symbolism
behind the clothes and accessories they wear.
Indigenous woman Luana Melgueiro da Silva, of the Baré tribe, poses for a photo during a fashion event in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, on April 9, 2022.
Saturday’s show
was hosted at the Rio Negro Palace, an early 20th century building that now
serves as a cultural center.
“I feel privileged
to have been able to attend such an event in this place. We are generally
excluded from such sites. Today I can see my people telling their story through
fashion,” said participant Bianca Mura, 24.
As the models
walked down the catwalk to appreciative applause, thousands of indigenous
Brazilians gathered in the capital Brasilia some 3,500km away, for an annual
mass camping event called Terra Livre (Free Land).
An indigenous model presents a creation during a fashion event in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, on April 9, 2022.
The gathering is both a
rally for indigenous rights and a protest against the government of far-right
President Jair Bolsonaro, who is in favor of opening indigenous reserves —
already hard hit by deforestation -- to mining and farming companies.
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