Baku e Pajé from Sauapé village - Brazil

ADRIANA BARRETO | BRAZIL
1949, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Lives and works between Lisbon, Portugal, and Rio de Janeiro

The voice and a body which speaks, 2003 - 2014, sound installation
Courtesy: Cristina Guerra Contemporary Art, Lisbon, Portugal

Ethnic group: Sateré-Maué
Language: Sateré-Maué
Speaker: Mecias Sateré
Location: Amazonia, Brazil
Population: In 1826 there were more than 35.000 Indians. In 2014 there are fewer than 10.000.

The name sounds strange: Sateré-Maué. It is one of the many designations for the Maué Indians. Sateré is a fire lizard. Some believe that Maué means “intelligent and wise parrot”, others argue that it is an onomatopoeic term used by the whites to say “bad man”. The language of the Maué Indians belongs to a language family of Tupi, with the contribution of many words from the mother language and others. Nowadays, there are a few more than ten thousand Sateré-Maué voices. The people belong to a pre-Colombian culture which is considered as being descended from the Incas. During the times of their ancestors they were said to have descended from the Andean Altiplano and entered Amazonia, occupying a vast area between the River Madeira and the headwaters of the Tapajós, in Pará. In 1826 more than 35.000 were counted.