The Katxuyana and Kahyana peoples, from the Wayamu region in the far north of Brazil, are rediscovering part of their history by revisiting ethnographic collections held at the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi and the British Museum. Many of these objects have been outside Indigenous territories for almost a century. Now, they are once again being seen, interpreted and re-signified by some of their original creators and their descendants.
To strengthen Indigenous presence in the construction of museum narratives, the project builds bridges between Amazonian peoples and cultural institutions in Brazil and the United Kingdom. Conceived by the Associação Indígena Katxuyana, Tunayana e Kahyana (AIKATUK), it is carried out by Iepé – Instituto de Pesquisa e Formação Indígena in partnership with the Santo Domingo Centre of Excellence for Latin American Research at the British Museum and the Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF).
Reconnection and cultural exchange
The approach includes a workshop in Indigenous territories, where artefacts are revisited digitally and gain new interpretations. It also involves two visits to the British Museum in London, and the co-curation of pieces to be exhibited at the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi in the second half of 2026.
The activities are coordinated by Dr Denise Fajardo, from Iepé’s Tumucumaque-Wayamu Programme, and carried out by a diverse team, mainly composed of Indigenous and non-Indigenous women – including anthropologists, biologists, historians and guardians of traditional knowledge.
The focus is to value Indigenous protagonism in the interpretation of their heritage, strengthen community ties and broaden the global debate on the decolonisation of Indigenous collections held by museums. At the end of the project, a bilingual digital book is planned.
Timeline
- Second half of 2025 (remote): Joint planning between teams in Brazil (AIKATUK, Iepé, UFF) and the United Kingdom (British Museum/SDCELAR), mapping of collections and design of co-curation processes.
- September 2025: Visit by an elder, a young Indigenous person and a non-Indigenous researcher to the British Museum, to identify, map and systematise the ethnographic collections of the Katxuyana and Kahyana peoples.
- March 2025: During a community workshop in Purho Mïtï village, on the Trombetas river, 70 pieces were produced and selected, including 10 new txamatxama, for the exhibition at the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi.
- June 2026: At the British Museum in London, representatives of the Katxuyana and Kahyana present the txamatxama — a crown made with harpy eagle feathers, of spiritual, cultural and political significance — at an event for invited guests.
- 30 June 2026: Opening of the temporary exhibition of the Katxuyana and Kahyana collection at the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, accompanied by a roundtable discussion on the project.
The Yana and the Museums was selected through the UK-Brazil Season of Culture open call.