The pieces are handcrafted and passed down through generations
Offered by the Indigenous Cultural and Training Centre(CCFI), coordinated by the Fraternity – International Humanitarian Federation(FIHF), the Vovó Barro (Granny Clay) workshop made it possible for indigenous members of the Macuxi tribe to share a little of the ancestry of their culture in the making of clay pots for indigenous people of seven other ethnic groups from Brazil, Venezuela and Guyana.
Working with clay is an indigenous tradition that has been passed on from generation to generation over the centuries. Clay cookware, which can seem like common and even simple utensils, carry stories and an enormous importance for the life of these communities; they contribute in maintaining their identity and supporting their families through group work.
The act of cooking with clay cookware presents factors of extreme relevance, because it holds the temperature, does not release toxic substances, preserves the nutritional value of the food, gives a unique and unmistakable flavour to the preparations, and does not pollute the environment if discarding is necessary.
Cultural inheritance
Lídia, of the Macuxi tribe, learned the techniques for making clay pots from her grandmother while she was still a child, who according to her, lived to be more than a hundred. Today, Lídia is a guardian teacher and passes on this technique, which transforms clay into art.
Delciane, daughter of Lídia and a teacher at the Workshop, tells us she began to work with making clay pots when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. “I began so as to provide continuity for our Macuxi culture. I am continuing with all the teachings that my mother passed on to me. Just because we’re in the city, we’ll not set aside our customs,” she affirms.
Clay – a mystical element
The choice of clay is an important part in the process of making the pots. Lídia explains that “each utensil needs a specific clay, because if you use the wrong one, the handcrafting doesn’t come out right.”
Once chosen, the clay goes through a drying and grinding process. After it’s dry, it’s sifted, mixed with water and set to ‘rest’ for a few hours. After this period, the raw material can be handled by the artisans.
The casts are done by hand, polished and placed in the fire. According to Lídia, besides representing all the ancestry of her people, the making also has a mystical element. “Little girls younger than 12, pregnant women and those going through a menstrual period mustn’t make pots, because they get sick and the handcrafting ‘doesn’t work’, she affirms.
Imer, the manager of the Livelihoods and Lasting SolutionsSector of the Humanitarian Fraternity (FIHF), followed the entire process of making the pots, from collecting the clay to baking of the utensils, and describes the strong connection of the indigenous peoples with those elements. “One can perceive how this connection flows naturally for indigenous peoples. Also perceptible was the feeling of unity among the group, coming to feel like a single people, in spite of the presence of seven tribes from three different countries. It was as if the Earth united them.”
The feminine element of the clay, represented by “Mother Earth” also manifested through the strong presence of women in the workshop, being more than 90% of the participants, and it was facilitated by a mother (Lídia) and a daughter (Delciane).
Non-material cultural asset
Macuxi clay cookware is a non-material indigenous heritage, still in the process of being recognized by the National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN), with the first registered data going back to 1870.
A young man, Jarison, of the Maxuci tribe, speaks joyfully about this tradition: “the clay pot is not just a pot, because behind this (he says, pointing to one of the pots made in the Workshop), there is a whole story about a grandmother, Ko Ko Non, which in Maxuci means ‘Granny Clay’, and represents our tradition.”
Exchanging information, multiplying knowledge
During the workshop, Macuxi techniques for producing the clay pots were passed on to indigenous people of different tribes, with different cultures and traditions, and it was precisely that exchange of knowledge that will contribute to maintaining that Macuxi tradition and help to create a cultural identity and group memory link among the indigenous peoples present.
According to Tamara, a Wapixana-Macuxi member, the training was “of great importance, because we can then carry the knowledge and traditions of other indigenous peoples to our community.”
Boris Puerto López, a humanitarian aid volunteer of theHumanitarian Fraternity (FIHF), highlights that besides recovering ancestral information and offering an exchange of knowledge among the participants, the workshop “will also be an opportunity to generate income for the families, a way of life.”
