São Paulo, Brazil – Nearly four centuries after it was taken from Brazil during its colonization, a Tupinambá sacred robe has been returned to its indigenous people, potentially marking a step toward the repatriation of other looted sacred objects.
On Thursday, around 200 indigenous people gathered in Rio de Janeiro to celebrate the return of the mantle from Denmark after all these years.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Sonia Guajajara, Minister of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, attended the event. Guajajara called for the repatriation of other cultural items taken from Brazil.
It is believed that at least 10 additional Tupinambá cloaks remain scattered throughout European museums.
“We are witnessing a moment of historical revision. The return of the mantle marks the beginning of what I believe could be a move to establish protocols for accessing multiple sacred objects, inside and outside of Brazil,” Guajajara said.
(Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil)
Measuring 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) long and 80 centimeters (2.6 feet) wide, the cloak is made from thousands of bright red feathers of the guará bird, a rare and unique species.
It has deep spiritual significance for the Tupinambá people, who live in the southern region of the northeastern state of Bahia.
During the ceremony, members of the Tupinambá community took the opportunity to press President Lula for defining their ancestral lands. Demarcation of indigenous land is a process that guarantees ownership of land and exclusive use of its natural resources to the indigenous peoples who live on it.
“Mr. President, give us back our land,” sang Tupinambá.
For the Tupinambá, the mantle is a sacred, centuries-old object that connects them to their ancestors.
Historians note that numerous indigenous artifacts were looted during the colonization of Brazil. The Tupinambá cloak is believed to have been taken by Dutch colonizers around 1644 and later given to Denmark, where it has been on display in the National Museum in Copenhagen since 1689.
In July of this year, the cloak was returned to Brazil in secret after a diplomatic agreement.
(Ricardo Stuckert / Presidency of Brazil)
However, after waiting over 300 years to be reunited with this important part of their heritage, the Tupinambá people will not see the mantle returned to their community.
Instead, the artifact will become part of the collection at the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, effectively moving from one museum to another.
In an interview with Agência Brasil, Tupinambá leader Chief Jamopoty expressed hope that her people would have regular access to the mantle and that, in the future, the sacred object would be physically closer to their community.
“We are in talks with the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples and the museum to establish protocols. We are here today, but we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. We want future generations to understand what this mantle represents for Tupinambá,” said Jamopoty.
President Lula echoed the sentiment, advocating for the eventual return of the mantle to the Tupinambá lands.
“It’s in the National Museum, but I hope everyone understands that it doesn’t belong here. Our governor in Bahia has a historical obligation to create a space that can house this mantle, which has deep spiritual meaning for the Tupinambá people. For us, it is a rare artistic treasure, but for the Tupinambá, it is a spiritual entity, a symbol of ancestral continuity that promotes the culture of their people,” said Lula.
(Ricardo Stuckert / Presidency of Brazil)
