Documentary

Mapulu Kamayurá is a female leader of the Xingu Indigenous Park. She was appointed authority in the village when she was still a child by her father, Chief Takumã, and her uncle, who also served as an indigenous leader of the Kamayurás. Today, she works as a shaman and as one of the most expressive female indigenous voices in the country.
The shaman says that in her village, women play a fundamental role in all activities – from taking care of the community’s routine to the oral perpetuation of their cultures. “We work in the fields, take care of the animals, raise and educate the children, make handicrafts, cook, take care of the house, wash clothes, and collect donations. It’s a never-ending task that is the woman’s responsibility,” she explains.
These responsibilities in the lives of the village women begin early: Kayamurá girls are secluded from the rest of the community for months and, in some cases, for years, inside the huts, until they reach adolescence. The ritual, one of the most important for the ethnic group, begins when they experience their first menstrual cycle. They are then confined, without sun exposure or social contact, for months. The length of their seclusion is determined by their parents and, in general, is related to the time it will take them to learn how to make crafts and cook.
During this period, the Kamayurás let their hair grow and their diet is reinforced with cassava flour, porridge and fish. The intention is for them to gain weight and gain curves quickly. They are also taught to tie straw threads to their calves and thighs to make their legs thicker. At the end of their isolation, they receive a marathon of advice from family members about life, family, children, work, marriage and, finally, they perform the ritual that transforms them into women.
When their seclusion ends, a big party is held where they are presented to the village as fully-formed women. From then on, they can decide when and who they will marry and, automatically, they enter the village routine: they work daily in the fields, take on the chores in the huts, fetch water from the river, and take care of each other's children. They learn to pass on and perpetuate the Kamayurá culture orally. Some of them achieve new status when they are reintroduced to the village: they become midwives, healers, shamans, and leaders.
Mapulu, in addition to being a leader, is also a Kamayurá shaman. She treats patients and performs births throughout the Xingu. “I have no complaints about the life of an indigenous woman. We work hard, but we are very respected among our people. But in the world outside the Village, indigenous women need more space. More voice. More participation.”


Direction:
VIVIANE D'AVILLA AND GRACE GUARANI (CO-DIRECTION)

Script/Screenplay:
ANA ABREU
PAUL DIMANTAS,
RENATA TUPINAMBA,
VIVIANE D'AVILLA,

Production Company:
OÁ FILMS

Production:
PAUL DIMANTAS,
VIVIANE D'AVILLA,

Photography:
MILENA ARROW

Editing:
PAUL DIMANTAS,
VIVIANE D'AVILLA,
NATALIA FARIAS,

Music:
GIL GREGORY