yudjá architecture manual
publication
date. 2024
location. tuba-tuba village | YOU. Xingu | Mato Groso | Amazon | Brazil
In 2020, during a conversation between architect-artist Clara Mewaki Morgenroth, researcher and theater director Cibele Forjaz, and historian Tarinu Juruna, information about the traditional house of the Yudja people came up. When Clara heard the story, she became interested in helping to revitalize the Akatxi, the traditional house. The idea was presented to the community by chief Yabaiwa Juruna. Everyone was interested and curious to see this construction happen. We asked our experts, the elders, to tell the story of the house. So, they said that the traditional house is part of ancestral knowledge, has an ancient architecture that dates back a long time. When we came into contact with white society and other indigenous peoples, we learned about a different architecture, very different from ours, and it was incorporated into the culture but remained as if it were part of our tradition.
So, this account from the experts brought a reflection to the youth, and suggested that this knowledge should be strengthened and practiced in the present time. We looked for a way to make this practice happen and thought about doing the project. The idea was created and presented by the Xingu Indigenous Land Association (ATIX). At that time, our association was still in the process of regularization. So, it was time for us to present our project through ATIX. The project was presented and titled: AKATXI - Traditional House for the call for proposals from the Socio-Environmental House Fund: Resilient Amazon II – Strengthening of Local Organizations and Traditional Populations – Peoples of the Forest 2023/2024.
