GREAT SEED, VEGETABLE AND SONGS FAIR AT TI MAXAKALI DO PRADINHO
October 12, 2023
On October 12, 2023, each agroforestry agent and nursery worker was invited to bring seeds, cuttings, potato vines, and banana sprouts from their fields to the 1st Great Fair of Yãmĩyxop seeds and songs held in Aldeia Nova Vila, in Pradinho (Maxakali Indigenous Territory). On this occasion, some of the leading shamans of Água Boa and Pradinho gathered to accompany the fair participants in presenting songs and stories of the forest spirits. The fair began with each group presenting their songs. The more experienced shamans listened attentively to each song and corrected whenever necessary, sharing their knowledge of Yãmĩyxop seeds, songs, and spirits with the agroforestry workshop participants. Finally, each participant exchanged the products of their fields with relatives, strengthening the bonds of ritual exchange celebrated among kõmãyxop (formal friends). The fair and song festival strengthened the ties between the Hãmhi project and the kuxex (song houses) and the main Tikmu'un spiritual leaders, highlighting the importance of spirits and rituals in bringing back the forest and the animals.
This one is red skin potato fiber.
And this is black potato branch
Here's her potato.
They make juice and eat it with the same potato.
We let the juice ferment a little.
This is also a long potato.
We make broth and eat the potatoes too.
Mothers also take it for the yãmĩyxop to eat.
This one is a real pumpkin.
And this one is cassava that has a straight stem.
This one is young, but when it grows it will have big roots!
The women pluck and make beijú for the yãmĩyxop to eat as well.
Baked with banana leaves, beijú with meat.
- We send it to the yãmĩyxop and to the parents.
This one here is the green-spotted cane, the soft one.
We extract the juice and make coffee with sugarcane juice early in the morning.
It's food for the spirit bat. When there's a lot of it, we take it and use it for the ritual.
This one is a TEPTA TOX seedling (plantain).
It's too high!
You cut it here, it falls and the women take it out for our bat ritual.
Tie the bunch of bananas and place them on the spirit bat's shoulder.
This one is TEPTA MÃNAK NÕM XEKA.
Bat food.
And this one is TEPTA MÃNAK
When you eat them young you can't swallow.
This one is TEPTA PE.
Even when planted in dry soil, it grows well.
It gets big and beautiful!
And this one is white sugarcane too.
This one is new and small, but when it grows it will be really tall!
And this one here is the red skin cassava!
This is the red skin cassava.
It has red skin, but it is very smooth.
And this one here is the red-skinned cassava, the big one!
And this is the red cassava. It's red inside.
And this one has red skin, but the leaf is long!
This is TEPTA NÕM MÛNÎY YÎXUX, the one that is black and green.
That's all for now, these are our real foods!
Food of the yãmĩyxop.
We make broth and feed the yãmĩyxop.
When the banana ripens, we also take it to the yãmĩyxop.
We make beijú and feed it to the yãmĩyxop.
These things are true foods of the Tikmũ'ũn.
So we took this course in the Ãmãxux village…
To bring back our food.
For our yãmĩyxop to eat with their fathers and mothers!
Antonio Lucinda Maxakali
Ethnomapping workshop, Água Boa, Aldeia Ãmãxux, May 2023
I'll show you the potatoes and potato wedges I brought!
The branches are different and so are the potatoes from each one!
Now I'm going to show you this black potato branch. It's black inside.
The one that people say “if you eat this potato your nose will run”.
And this is the red potato. Its vines are short, but it produces a lot of potatoes!
I planted and know the path of these potatoes well.
This one is a gherkin seedling. It's its branch.
And this one here is the big potato with the red skin, the one with the long stem.
Look at her potato!
This potato is food for all yãmĩyxop!
We put them in bags and take them to the monkey ritual and to that yãmĩy to whom we shout: “come!”
These here are pumpkin seeds!
We plant and when we harvest we take it to sell in Santa Helena de Minas and eat it too.
And this one is okra seed. And we do it like this too.
We plant and sell. We sell everything here.
We're the ones who aren't taking it out and selling it. I don't know why we're not taking it out...
That's why these non-indigenous people are coming to help us.
But when they leave, will we forget what we talked about here?
If we keep going, our things will sprout again!
They won't do it for us. We'll do it for ourselves!
This potato here is red too, but its vines are short and produce a lot of potatoes like that other one over there.
And this is also another type of white potato. There are several types!
This is a white potato too!
There are several types of white potatoes, each one has a different branch, but is white inside.
This one is also white.
This one is white too… White potato.
And this one is real red-skinned cassava. We plant it to sell and to eat.
And we feed our yãmiyxop… We say “yãmiyxop”, but that is the generic name.
I'm talking about HEMEX MÕTAHAP AX.
When he comes we will pull up cassava.
The adults, children and men all go and we cook for everyone to eat.
And this one is another maniva called YAIT
And this is that other cassava with the red skin.
The one with a very straight and long foot.
That's a big papaya!
This is the soft cane!
This is the painted cane!
This is a TEPTA PE YIYXOX banana seedling
And this is a seedling of KATOHÃM
This is KOXÛG YIXUX
And this is TIKÃOG KUP
So that's it. Mine are gone. But I forgot to say my name and the name of my village.
Maria Rosa
Ethnomapping workshop, Água Boa, Aldeia Ãmãxux, May 2023