Help the Captured Spirits Come Home in 2012
The Project
In January 2012, the Wauja will see, for the first time, films made of their ancestors nearly a century ago [more]
The Journey
To get to the Wauja community, we must enter the Xingu National Park, the indigenous reserve where the… [more]
About the Wauja
The Wauja are an Arawak-speaking people living in several communities in the Upper Xingu region of the… [more]
Team Bios
Emilienne Ireland is an anthropologist based in Washington, D.C., and has worked with the Wauja since… [more]
What We Need
We need funds to cover the costs of shooting this feature documentary. Because the entire crew is donating… [more]
What You Get
All backers of this project will have access to a printable gift card for the holidays, featuring an… [more]
Kamukuaka, the Sacred Cavern
If we can raise more money than the minimum we are asking for, then we can visit Kamukuaka, the sacred… [more]
Return of the Captured Spirits
Arriving in the Wauja Village
Three young Wauja children watch excitedly as the Return of the Captured Spirits team arrives in the main Wauja village of Piyulaga in January 2012 with their laptops, projector, video equipment, and other gear to show the historical movies and shoot the new RCS video. more [Photo credit: Mori Rothman]
We will be sending email updates to project supporters during and after the trip, including messages from the Wauja themselves. Please send your email and, if you have one, your Facebook, Skype and Twitter handles to info@returnofthecapturedspirits.com, and we will add you to the lists. Thanks for your help for the Wauja and for this historic project.
Progressive news resource Common Dreams has published an article by team member Phil Tajitsu Nash. Welcome to all Common Dreams readers. Please help us to make this Amazonian project succeed with a contribution in any amount. To support this project, please use your credit card or make a paypal transfer to e.ireland@nashinteractive.com at Paypal. One hundred percent of donations are being used to support the project. If you have any questions, please contact us directly. Happy New Year, and thank you for all you do!
Preserving Traditions While Learning New Skills
Young men play ceremonial flutes, accompanied by female dancers. The ceremony was recorded in the Wauja village of Piyulaga, an indigenous community of Arawak-speakers located in the Xingu Indigenous Park in Northern Mato Grosso, Brazil. Note the young Wauja filmmaker using digital technology to record the dancers. The Wauja currently have three communities, located in the Amazonian rainforest, on the Batovi and von den Steinen rivers. Raw footage provided by anthropologist and filmmaker Marcelo Fortaleza Flores.
Preserving Connections with the Past
Anthropologist Emi Ireland recalls a conversation with some members of the Wauja indigenous community in Central Brazil, when they first realized that she lived in a large city, surrounded by people who were complete strangers to her.
