Ritxoko Dolls at The Museum

In the past, the ritxoko dolls were small, unfired, and depicted the family. More than toys, they taught children what it means to be Karajá. Through play, they reproduce social roles and learn about collective life, with figures of people, generations and scenes from daily life.

In 2010, Karajá leaders sent a request to the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage for the recognition of the craft and methods of making ritxoko dolls.

Two years later, in January 2012, they were registered as Cultural Heritage of Brazil in the Book of Forms of Expression as Ritxoko – Artistic and Cosmological Expression of the Karajá People.

The record recognizes this practice as part of a system of knowledge, values and memory that is still alive. By preserving it, the value of collective knowledge, daily life practices and ways of life that structure the society of the Iny people is reaffirmed.

Each ritxoko doll expresses aspects of the Karajá worldview and helps to keep alive the bonds between people, territories and traditions.

Its presence in the collection of the National Historical Museum reaffirms the role of museums as active spaces for listening to, including, and valuing Indigenous voices, promoting connections and confronting historical inequalities.