Xingu is the theme of the collection woven by the Mehinako indigenous group with Yankatu

The new Xingu Collection was developed under unusual circumstances. The pieces were created after a virtual meeting between designer Maria Fernanda Paes de Barros and the Mehinako ethnic group, located in the Kaupüna Village in Alto Xingu, south of the Amazon Rainforest, at the end of the year. past. “Xingu was born from an encounter between past and future, but which is established in the present, proposing new ways of looking at tradition, with the respect and admiration it deserves. And, for this production, we used technology to maintain communication in times of isolation”, reveals Maria Fernanda. The designer, researcher and founder of Yankatu, suddenly found herself unable to return to the Kaupüna village, due to the restrictions imposed by the new coronavirus pandemic in the world. It was then that the idea of continuing to produce the pieces virtually. The new protocol in the dynamics between the parties led Maria Fernanda to interact remotely with the village artists. The weaving technique classes she would teach on site were turned into videos recorded and sent online, with the help of Stive Mehinako — an artist and one of the community representatives. And it was in this virtual way that the collection began to materialize. One of the highlights of the pieces was the color palette, which was developed by Maibe Maroccolo, from Brasília. The new palette came from pigments extracted from the leaves and bark of native trees found in the reserve, which, with their dyeing properties, colored the cotton threads used in the mats made by the women of the village. “This project has a special flavor, because persistence and creativity united Yankatu and the Kaupüna village, in this development despite the obstacles imposed by reality. The dyed threads through Mattricaria, with the raw material collected by Stive, they arrived here and there, and even from a distance, the Mehinako women and I wove a new story: they produced the mat with buriti in the village, and I produced it here in São Paulo. That's how I learned from them. and I wove, too”, comments Maria Fernanda. With her soul absorbed by the profound experiences of the places she visits, Maria Fernanda, in her own way, takes with her a dose of each learning, bringing to the surface revelations in the form of pieces loaded with value, like a manifesto in favor of Brazilian identity. “The Each trip makes me more humble, I notice the differences, I relearn how to look, I understand meanings through the other person’s place”, he explains.

To develop the pieces for the collection, Maria Fernanda was inspired by everyday objects and elements of the Mehinako people and other ethnic groups. The piece, produced in Cabreúva parda, has engravings painted in annatto and charcoal by Kulikyrda Mehinako, with details of beaded necklaces. red, made by Kayanaku Aweti. The Embira bench was inspired by the construction of huts, with their ties made of strips of tree bark. The piece, also made of Cabreúva parda, has curved legs, making a direct reference to the structures of the huts. The Abrigo da Vida Buffet also follows the lines of the huts, with the highlight being the sliding doors in Cabreúva parda wood, which are a reinterpretation of the traditional mats woven with buriti straw. “This braiding evokes the strength, resilience of these people and the beauty of their culture”, recalls the designer. The Oca cabinet evokes the beauty of this braiding, proposing new insertions of the Mehinako culture tradition in contemporary furniture. All this exchange and learning are of great value to Maria Fernanda, who always tries to find a way to help the community involved in her projects. In addition to paying the artisans fairly, she also proposed raising funds to purchase a boat. motorized to make the village autonomous in the extraction of buriti, used both by women in their art and by men to cover the huts. “We need to be very careful that these identities are not lost, but rather merged. The sum should not subtract anyone. How many times, when we add cultures, do we only see the total and forget the parts? This is where Yankatu’s mission comes in, to present the tradition through a new perspective, highlighting the parts with what is most beautiful and genuine with balance, respect and admiration”, he concludes.[newsletter]