Hello Readers,
I recently went to explore the Amazonia exhibit at the Museum of Anthropology which I found to be extremely intriguing as well as educational. Although I enjoyed the entire exhibit, one section of the exhibit really stuck out to me. In this section, there were objects from the Yanomami tribe who live on the border of Venezuela and Brazil. The reason I found this section interesting, was due to the bed of bullets that the objects were presented on. I thought the bullets were an interesting contrast to the beautiful baskets and feather objects that were presented in the same space. Although there was no direct explanation for the bullets, the description talked about how on Yanomami lands, three military bases have been installed causing problems with the local population, and I feel as though this representation in the exhibit shows the struggle for the Yanomami people to preserve their culture while under constant threat of violence. I believe that in this way, the exhibit is making a statement about the treatment of native peoples, and the lack of respect they receive with regards to their land. It is not- so -subtly raising awareness of the mistreatment of the native people, which I feel is also very relevant in Vancouver and the rest of Canada today.
Another reason I was drawn to this section of the exhibit was due to the baskets that were on display. They reminded me of similar baskets that are traditionally made in Kenya by my own tribe. I thought it was amazing that even though the Yanomami and the Kikuyu tribes are separated by thousands of kilometers, they create such similar art. This made me feel connected to a tribe I had only just learned about in the exhibit and therefore sympathize even more with how they are being treated.
In class we discussed the graphic narrative Safe Area Goražde by Joe Sacco, and although it takes place in Eastern Europe, I believe that there is a connection to be seen between the book and the exhibit. In Goražde, according to Sacco, the people were trapped and terrorized with the UN not doing all they could to help, and I am not saying that the exact thing is happening with the Yanomami people, but they, as well as all the other Amazonia people, are also being taken advantage of as the world watches on and doesn’t do anything to change the situation.
I enjoyed my time at the Amazonia exhibit and believe that it is important both as a work of art, as well as a form of activism.
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