Abstract
This artwork affirms both cultural heritage and territorial identity through the visual language of the Huni Kuin people of the Brazilian Amazon. Mana Huni Kuin, Yube nawa aibu evokes ancestral knowledge and the transmission of memory across generations, centering a female figure surrounded by serpentine patterns associated with Yube, the cosmic serpent and guardian of ayahuasca teachings. The repetition of the feminine form signals lineage, continuity, and spiritual depth. Bright colors and geometric designs echo the aesthetics of traditional body painting and woven patterns, serving not only as decoration but as carriers of myth and healing. The composition connects body, spirit, and land, reflecting a worldview in which identity is inseparable from territory. In honoring women as knowledge holders and protectors of sacred teachings, the work reinforces the role of cultural transmission in sustaining Indigenous life in the face of external threats to land and sovereignty.
Citation
MAHKU (Movimento dos Artistas Huni Kuin). 2014. 'Mana Huni Kuin, Yube Nawa Aibu'. Dispossessions in the Americas. https://staging.dia.upenn.edu/en/art/ABRA028/
