AIIS faculty accompanied UF Anthropology Professor Mike Heckenberger to a three-day ceremony honoring deceased members of a regional Amazonian community he has worked with for 30 years. Like Indigenous people throughout the Americas, the Kuikuro people of the upper Xingu of the Amazon bear the scars of colonialism, and their plight endures as deforestation encroaches on Indigenous land. But they have embraced archaeology as a source of cultural liberation. Archaeological investigations of ancestral Kuikuro, led by Mike, have fundamentally altered mainstream narratives of Native Amazonia. The kuarup ceremony UF faculty experienced was testament to the power of Indigenous tradition to overcome the ills of colonialism and reclaim sovereignty in its aftermath.
The chief of the Kuikuro, Afukaka, has accepted an invitation to visit UF early next year. Announced soon will be a schedule of event surrounding the chief’s visit, including some classroom appearances. In the meantime, check out the Xingu Firewall StoryMap for further insight on the Kuikuro and Mike’s work with them.