The team from the Indigenous Arts and Crafts Space Project from the Superior School of the Judges of the State of Tocantins (ESMAT) made a technical visit to the Catàmjê village of the Krahô-Kanela people, in Lagoa da Confusão, in the state of Tocantins, between September 2nd and 4th.
The objective of the meeting was to present to the community the proposal to create a space, at Esmat, for the permanent exhibition of indigenous handicrafts, and to consult with the leaders about the project.
The proposal is concerned with the strengthening of the Organizational Identity and Culture, aiming to show the historical dimension, as well as to rescue the images, recognizing the diversity of the original peoples of the State.
About the Krahô-Kanela People
Banned, since 1977, from various territories, the Krahô have faced mistreatment, humiliation and several threats during the search for the return of their lands. Historically, the Krahô-Kanela have fought for the maintenance of part of their territories in a long process to guarantee their rights.
The indigenous leader, Wagner Katamy Kanela, is the president of the Association of the Krahô-Kanela Indigenous People - Apoinkk - and also one of the guardians of the forest. According to Wagner, for years the Krahô-Kanela people have fought to return to their traditional territories, after being banned in 1970.
"Our territories were only partially taken back in 2006. Since then we have strived to take care of this land - our common good, and our legacy for the next generations," he commented.
Today, the diet of the Catàmjê indigenous people is based on fishing and hunting. In their search to recovery their traditional and cultural knowledge, the Krahô-Kanela people continue to fight for the reconquest of their lands.
