“más que objetos”: dos líderes e investigadores tupinambá en busca de sus “ancestros” en Francia

Abstract

Through the experiences of Glicéria, Jéssica Tupinambá and Nathalie Pavelic, the article highlights the importance of access to the usurped cultural heritage of indigenous peoples to revitalize the ancestral memory of indigenous peoples. The case of Tupinambá cloaks preserved in European institutions is discussed more particularly, emphasizing the need for access and repatriation policies that respect the rights and desires of communities. The role of the enchanted in Tupinambá cosmology and their influence on the production of new cloaks are analyzed, illustrating the constant interaction between humans and other-than-humans in Tupinambá culture. The text criticizes the discrepancy between museums' decolonial discourses and their conservative practices, and draws attention to female protagonism in leading repatriation negotiations and cultural production. This case study highlights the complex negotiations between indigenous peoples and museums, highlighting the indigenous perspective in a global debate on cultural heritage, restitution/repatriation/return and ancestral memory.