“Place of Memory:” Renovation and Restoration of the Pataxó Indigenous Museum

Amid continuous physical violence and devastation, the restoration and remodelling of the museum holds fantastic social, cultural, and political relevance. Its restoration connects various teams within the community and fosters collective healing. They likewise browsed for papers and journals that stand for the social heritage of the Pataxó people and cataloged them for chronological display.

The effects of the well-known Marco Temporal (temporal framework), although legally turned down by Brazil’s Supreme Court in 2022 and criticized by global human civil liberties organizations, still persist, instigating land grabs and physical violence versus the Pataxó neighborhood. Most recently, 3 Pataxó leaders were fired throughout an assault earlier this year by farmers attempting to “reclaim” Pataxó conventional area.

Most recently, three Pataxó leaders were fired during an attack earlier this year by farmers attempting to “redeem” Pataxó traditional region. Unlike its initial construction, which was done mainly by government and regional authorities, the Pataxó area of Coroa Vermelha has actually led the entire process, guaranteeing their social heritage is accurately and authentically provided. Arissana Pataxó (Pataxó), who took part in the gallery’s repair, claims, “Creating a collection, even a provisional one, for a space like a museum is extremely time consuming and calls for significant research study and monetary resources.

The Museu Indígena Pataxó de Coroa Vermelha, located in the district of Santa Cruz Cabrália, Bahia, was at first constructed in the 1990s in event of the “500 Years of the Discovery of Brazil,” though it lacked significant interaction with Native Peoples and long-term planning, and its exhibition stood for Native Peoples in an extremely generic means. After commemorating two substantial 500-year wedding anniversaries, the gallery progressively came under disregard and disrepair by the responsible authorities. The local neighborhood, especially the Associação dos Comerciantes do Parque Indígena de Coroa Vermelha, endeavored to keep it running, yet by 2018, the gallery’s operations were put on hold forever as a result of difficulties in sustaining its upkeep. Due to its importance, the local Pataxó neighborhood of Coroa Vermelha and the Organization have actually always wished to reconstruct it. “For the past two decades, the museum has actually distorted our ancestral and cultural memories. Currently, the new gallery demonstrates our dedication to securing our heritage. It has become a room that mirrors the experiences and holds the mourning of the Pataxó people … it acts as a way of resistance for a neighborhood that remains to affirm its social identity,” says Oiti, a participant of the Pataxó community in Bahia.

Arissana Pataxó (Pataxó), who joined the gallery’s remediation, says, “Developing a collection, also a provisional one, for a space like a museum is really time consuming and needs substantial study and financial resources. Lugging out this exhibit curation in a minimal amount of time and with restricted economic resources was very challenging for us. However the experience was abundant because I was able to collaborate with the community and contribute to the memory and valorization of the arts of the Pataxó Individuals.”

It has become a room that mirrors the experiences and holds the grieving of the Pataxó people … it serves as a method of resistance for a neighborhood that continues to verify its social identity,” states Oiti, a member of the Pataxó neighborhood in Bahia.

The Aboriginal Pataxó Peoples were among the first to have contact with Portuguese inhabitants. Some Pataxó moved to seaside areas and established new Indigenous areas, such as Coroa Vermelha, which was founded in 1972 and is now home to around 5,000 people.

Currently, the gallery is poised to start new exhibits, establishing itself as a vital place of memory for the area, attesting its culture, and strengthening its identification. It has resumed its function as a traveler site, bringing substantial financial benefits to the community. For the neighborhood community, it has become a center for events, social occasions, and curricula. For non-Indigenous site visitors, it functions as a system to enlighten them about Pataxó background and culture and increases recognition regarding pushing concerns, fostering better respect. Unlike its original building, which was done primarily by federal and regional authorities, the Pataxó community of Coroa Vermelha has led the whole procedure, guaranteeing their cultural heritage is precisely and authentically presented. This is a straight challenge to settler-colonialist standards and understandings of Aboriginal Peoples, redeeming company in the representation of the Pataxó People.

Some Pataxó relocated to coastal areas and developed brand-new Indigenous neighborhoods, such as Coroa Vermelha, which was started in 1972 and is currently home to about 5,000 individuals.