This exclusive footage was filmed by Survival's Brazil campaigner, who
was invited to attend a funeral feast in the Yanomami village of Biaú
in 2002. The feast was in honour of a very respected Yanomami elder
(according to Yanomami custom, his name cannot now be spoken), and
hundreds of Indians from six neighbouring communities were invited. The
feast was held over two weeks, and was a celebration as well as a
remembrance. Some particularly sensitive footage relating to the
parading of the dead man's ashes has been withheld at the community's
request. The film provides graphic evidence of the vigour and vitality
of the Yanomami, who are now relatively secure in their own land after
a 23-year Survival campaign.
Clip 1: preparing food. Men collect manioc in the community gardens,
which is then peeled and grated by the women. The pulp is then soaked
in water and squeezed to eliminate the poisonous juices. Each
woman then takes some of the resulting flour to her own hearth to make
bejiú - manioc bread. Huge quantites were made to feed the
hundreds of people at the feast. Other men soak mounds of fruit to make
a sweet drink, and erect a temporary larder to hold all the fruit.
4 mins.
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