Free exhibition on Brazil’s 175+ indigenous languages now also online
The Museum of the Portuguese Language in São Paulo is offering an online version of the temporary exhibition Nhe’ẽ Porã: Memory and Transformation, which deals with indigenous languages and cultures in Brazil. According to the institution, this will be an opportunity for more people to check out the exhibition, which is dedicated to the more than 175 indigenous languages still spoken in the country.
The show can be viewed free of charge here. Users have a chance to visit exhibition rooms, learn more about the pieces, watch videos and interactive objects making up the display, and listen to ambient sounds such as the birds in the forest.
One of the videos displayed is Indigenous Resistance, by Daiara Tukano and the Bijari collective, which shows how colonization and land conflicts caused the number of indigenous tongues to go from a total of some 1500 to a mere 175 today.
Netizens also get a shot at speaking a few words in languages such as Xavante, Tuyuka, and Terena—and sing an indigenous song on a karaoke.
Furthermore, a series of materials are available for download, including an e-book with texts from the exhibition and exclusive maps. An educational booklet for teachers and students is also provided.
Nhe’ẽ Porã: Memory and Transformation is curated by artist, activist, educator, and indigenous communicator Daiara Tukano and offers an opportunity of immersion into the dozens of linguistic families to which the languages spoken today by the indigenous peoples of Brazil belong. The title of the exhibition, the curator said, is a concept created by the Guarani people meaning “good words, good thoughts, good feelings, sweet words that come from the heart to touch the heart of every person.”
“We sought sweet words to tell the stories of the resistance and struggle of indigenous people. From this mouthful of air we hope to reach attentive listeners willing to open themselves to transformation,” the text in one of the rooms of the online show reads.
