stepmother girl

originally uploaded by ©Tatiana Cardeal.

After more than ten years living and working on a land, as sugar cane's workers, they were surprised, banished from their houses in the middle of the night, by helicopters and armed men. They lost everything.
They started to live at the borders of the roads, in encampments, waiting for a land and fighting for the Agrarian Reform.

Click here for more pictures of the Chico Mendes Encapment

Pastoral Commission of the Land (CPT),
Assentamento Chico Mendes I,
Ribeirão city, Pernambuco State, 2004.

Copyright © 2007 Tatiana Cardeal. All rights reserved.
Reprodução proibida. © Todos os direitos reservados.

stealing trucks

A few years ago, during a research about the sugar-cane monoculture at the Brazilian northeast, I met a protest which blocked the road at a small city called São Bento. They protested because too many people where dying, run over by trucks.
Another boy had died that morning.
These are sugar cane's trucks, and these boys are happy
because they found something to steal, to eat.

São Bento city, Alagoas State
september, 2004

Copyright © 2007 Tatiana Cardeal. All rights reserved.
Reprodução proibida. © Todos os direitos reservados.

bird flying away

bird flying away, originally uploaded by Tatiana Cardeal.

The Prestes Maia occupation is now closed, after the removal of all the families. It has been almost 5 years of occupation.
Mixed feelings appeared while I photographed the main door of the building, now covered with concrete and blocks. If on a hand, important development and conquests had occurred in the debate and process about the city housing, calling attention for the social exclusion imposed by the real estate speculation and the preconception between social classes, on the other hand, looking to this door closed, and everything what it iconically represents, brings me some sadness.
It was like looking a giant tomb with 22 floors, sealed up without life, in the heart of the city.

Copyright © 2007 Tatiana Cardeal. All rights reserved.
Reprodução proibida. © Todos os direitos reservados.

thoughtful

thoughtful, originally uploaded by Tatiana Cardeal.

Despite the kind look of the Rikbaktsa girl, the Rikbaktsa People were well known by the neighboring indigenous groups, with which, they have maintained hostile relations. Since their “pacification”, which was financed by rubber planters and carried out by Jesuit missionaries between 1957 and 1962, their traditional territory has been the object of many pioneer fronts, such as rubber extraction, timber and mining companies and agricultural and cattle-raising enterprises.
For more Rikbaktsa information, visit the Instituto Socio Ambiental

> VII Indigenous National Festival, at Bertioga city

Copyright © 2007 Tatiana Cardeal. All rights reserved.
Reprodução proibida. © Todos os direitos reservados.

"pacification"

"pacification", originally uploaded by Tatiana Cardeal.

During the Rikbaktsa “pacification” and soon after it, influenza, chickenpox and smallpox epidemics decimated 75% of a population, which was estimated in some 1.300 people at the time of contact. As a consequence, the Rikbaktsa lost most of their lands, and the majority of their small children were taken from the villages to be raised at the Utiariti Jesuit Boarding School, almost 200 kilometers from their homeland. There, the little Rikbaktsa were raised along with children of other indigenous groups also contacted by the missionaries. The surviving adults were gradually transferred from their original villages to larger ones, which were centralized under the Jesuit’s catechist administration.
:
In 1968, about 10% of the Rikbaktsa’s original territory were demarcated as the Erikbaktsa Indigenous Land; from then on their children began to be taken back to their villages, and missionary action concentrated in that area.
Since the end of the 1970s the Rikbaktsa have struggled to regain control over part of their traditional lands. However, it is still occupied by miners, timber companies and colonization companies.

From Rikbaktsa Location and history, by Rinaldo S.V. Arruda,
at the Instituto Sócio Ambiental.

> VII Indigenous National Festival, at Bertioga city.

Copyright © 2007 Tatiana Cardeal. All rights reserved.
Reprodução proibida. © Todos os direitos reservados.

Charlottesville - Festival of Photography

June 7-9 2007

The Festival of Photography
Some images of my work was included in a projection there, selected by the american photographer Andy Levin, whose work I so admire, and who was curating it. I really feel honoured for being part of this essay, with all those photographers.
If you are around Charlottesville, I hope you'll enjoy "The Human Condition" projection.

The Charlottesville's Festival is a not for profit celebration of photography — created by photographers. With a program of exhibitions, workshops, interviews, outdoor screenings, and special events, the Festival attracts professional and amateur photographers from around the world to Charlottesville's picturesque historic downtown, Virginia, US.

After dark, on 4th street, going from side of street that Paramount Theatre is on, will happen the "The Human Condition", a Lightstalkers community projection. It has an amazing team of well-known photographers like Ami Vitale, Gary Knight, John Vink, Dave Yoder, Bruno Stevens, and more high quality professionals. You can read the Lightstalkers full list of Photographers in this Festival at this link.

My special thanks to Andy Levin, Wayne E. Yang, Bob Black, Nick Nichols, Jon Golden, the Lighstalkers Team (Teru and Shinji), and everyone else involved.

Good bye

Winds of changes
a gate will open
we navigated in dreams
and expectations

every place
must bring enchants for the eyes
and touch the heart

dear Prestes Maia
symbol of many fights
and knowledge
we brought your name for the world
but it will remain in our hearts

there is a giant bird
that underneath of its wings
received us

here's the life's mirror
It's time to leave
good bye, dear Prestes Maia
we must leave you

the doors are closing
they cease the applauses
but it will be forever
kept in our memory.


Poem by Roberta Maria da Conceição,
who became a nice friend,
always opening her wings and home to receive me
at the Prestes Maia occupation.

the last days

the last days, originally uploaded by Tatiana Cardeal.

I've been visiting the Prestes Maia occupation these last weeks, to see how things are changing and give some pictures to the people. The progressive and pacific withdrawal of the families had started, and many had moved alredy to other buildings, at city's downtown. They will stay living in those new apartments for 6 months, with a government's fund help, until the "popular" (subsidized) buildings be finished to be inhabitable. Other group of families decided to move out of downtown, to a neighborhood that alredy have "popular" apartments, with the same government support.

Here is João, son of Severino and Roberta, still at his Prestes Maia's home during the lunch. They are going to stay until the last family leaves. They care about the Prestes Maia's library, and they have agreed that the library will be last thing to be moved out of the occupation. For where?
Well, this have been a theme of strong discussion between them,
but it's probably going to another occupation. Let's see.

They have asked to say that they are really thankful for all your support, all the faxes and letters you sent, and this really made a big difference here.

Yudjá song's guardian

Yudjá songs guardian, originally uploaded by Tatiana Cardeal.

Yudjá, also called as Juruna people, portray themselves as the prototype of humanity, as canoeists and beer makers. Part of the Yudjá's cosmological knowledge and ritual life rests on the crucial role of shamans; however, since the 1980s, they have had no more shamans. He worn a crucifix, and so many things have changed in his culture.

* when he posed for me, I though about a guardian spirit, and I couldn't understand why. Later, I saw him recording the chants of the festival.
Shall he be the song's guardian.

The Argentimes, Wolfy Becker and the VII Indigenous National Festival

>> cover


Last February, The Argentimes newspaper (Argentina), published a nice interview, talking about my photographic work, that was previously published at the LivinginPeru.com website (Peru). I've just found a link to download a copy, and now is here too (click to enlarge).
Many thanks to Lucy Cousins, the Co-Editor of The Argentimes.

Sadly, the LivinginPeru.com Executive Editor, Wolfgang Becker, who wrote this interview, and who gave a great support to my work, specially for the indigenous social issues, suffered a heart attack and passed away last 20th, april, 2007.
That day I was photographing the opening of VII Indigenous National Festival, a piece of my communication project to support Indigenous People, and which Wolfgang helped to promote. So I dedicate this next piece of my work to him.

Peru lost a true admirer of its culture, lifestyle, and most of all, its people.
(from LivinginPeru.com newsletter)

centurys

centurys, originally uploaded by Tatiana Cardeal.

VII Indigenous National Festival, at Bertioga city.
This year was the first time that they had an US indigenous delegation participating. To honor the meeting, two indigenous from America lighten the fire as a symbolic representation from the beginning of the Festival life, to all native cultures.
Here the Yawalapiti warrior from South-America beside the Tewa dancer from North-America, at the official opening.