NEI LEITE XAKRIABÁ, BRAZIL
The ceramic sculptures I make reflect my world as a Xakriabá indigenous person living in Brazil’s southeastern state of Minas Gerais. Once forbidden, and nearly forgotten, pottery is an important part of reclaimed Xakriabá culture.
My mother, Dona Dalzira, taught me how to model my first pieces of clay. She learned as a child by watching one of her aunts. After learning to model animals with my mother, I moved on to mastering jugs with my elders.
The animals that adorn the lids of my jugs are native to our land. They mark my childhood in many ways—as sources of food, carriers of knowledge, and as part of our mythology. Some of these animals have special powers. Others represent the Xakriabá’s lost land rights. My human and semi-human figures tell stories of the all-important hunt, enchanted beings, and communal life.
As part of the collective process of reclaiming our traditional pottery, I did research among our elders and others who had kept this knowledge alive in their memories. This initially culminated in my 2011 exhibition as part of my Intercultural Training for Indigenous Educators degree from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, and contributed to my later Master of Arts degree from the same university. For more than 10 years, I’ve been focused on passing on this important cultural activity to our young people.
Pottery expresses our history, our culture, and our struggle for survival.
Once forbidden as an “indigenous sign,” the hawk feather headdress I’m wearing represents a reclaimed part of Xakriabá culture, and evokes ancestral protection. (Photo: Luane Gomes)
Sculptures made by my mother. The figure on the horse is my mother’s grandmother. (Photo: Nei Leite Xakriabá)
My mother Dona Dalzira. (Photo: Luane Gomes)
Open-air firing (queima a céu aberto) is our ancient traditional practice, now reborn. (Photo: Edgar Kanaykõ Xakriabá)
Moments after cleaning an open-firing. (Photo: Edgar Kanaykõ Xakriabá)