Museu do Índio
Encyclopedia
Fundação Nacional do Índio
Fundação Nacional do Índio or FUNAI is a Brazilian governmental protection agency for Indian interests and their culture.It was originally called the SPI and was founded by the Brazilian Marshal Cândido Rondon in 1910, who also created the agency's motto, "Die if necessary, but never kill." The...
(English: National Foundation of the Indian) or FUNAI. It was created by Darcy Ribeiro
Darcy Ribeiro
Darcy Ribeiro was a Brazilian anthropologist, author and politician. Darcy Ribeiro's ideas of Latin American identity have influenced several later scholars of Latin American studies...
, in the city of Rio De Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in 1953. As the only official institution in Brazil exclusively dedicated to indigenous cultures
Indigenous peoples in Brazil
The Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...
(the people known as povos indígenas in Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
), the museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
has the objective of promoting an accurate image of them, both traditional and modern, while helping to avoid common misconceptions of these societies
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
.
In 1978, the museum was moved to a mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
built in the era of the 1880s, in the Maracanã section of the Botafogo
Botafogo
Botafogo is a beachfront neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of Mundo Novo, Dona Marta and São João .- History :Botafogo was named after João Pereira de Sousa Botafogo, who was responsible for the...
district. It had been originally constructed for João Rodrigues Teixeira, an entrepreneur involved in the burgeoning early industries
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
of Rio De Janeiro. Constructed for Teixeita as his family residence, the mansion house was later acquired by the Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional or IPHAN (English: National Institute of Historic and Artistic Sites). The architectural style of its construction is quite representative of this period of growth within Maracanã.
The rich heritage of the museum, which includes most of the unified indigenous societies, is composed of 14,000 ethnography
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
parts. In the Marechal Rondon Library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, 16,000 national and foreign publications specialized in ethnology
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
and other related areas, plus 50,000 images in diverse environments, including 3,000 digital photographs
Digital photography
Digital photography is a form of photography that uses an array of light sensitive sensors to capture the image focused by the lens, as opposed to an exposure on light sensitive film...
on CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
, about 200 films, videos
Motion graphics
Motion graphics are graphics that use video footage and/or animation technology to create the illusion of motion or rotation, graphics are usually combined with audio for use in multimedia projects. Motion graphics are usually displayed via electronic media technology, but may be displayed via...
, and sound recordings, as well as 500,000 documents of historical value relating to various indigenous groups and their political situation in Brazil from the end of 19th century to the present.
In the eleven rooms of the main building, the Museu do Índio organizes the temporary showing of samples of painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
s and photos from those stored in its reserves. In the gardens of the institution there are five different environments, including a Guarani fazenda
Fazenda
Fazendas were coffee plantations that spread into the interior of Brazil between 1840 and 1896. They created major export commodities for Brazilian trade, but also led to intensification of slavery in Brazil.- Creation of fazendas :...
, a Xingu
Xingu peoples
Xingui peoples are indigenous peoples of Brazil living near the Xingu River. They have many cultural similarities despite their different ethnologies...
kitchen and ritual house for the Quarup
Quarup
The Quarup or Kuarup is the principal funeral ritual of the Indians of the Xingu. It is a gathering of all neighbouring tribes to celebrate life, death, and rebirth. One of its central events is the presentation of all young girls who first menstruated since the last quarup and whose time has come...
(also spelled "Kuarup").
Society of Friends of the Museum of the Indian
Sociedade Amigos do Museu do Índio (SAMI) is a nonprofit organizationNonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
with the objective of bringing the museum together with the public. SAMI develops projects which originate from the Brazilian indigenous cultures. It makes acquisitions of artifacts and preserves the indigenous traditions and promotes educational courses, seminaries, and other cultural events. SAMI accepts new membership from the general public as well as monetary
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
donations for scientific and cultural programs, ideas, suggestions and volunteers.
Indian Art Store (Loja Artíndia)
The Loja Artíndia of the museum is one of the seven Artíndia Stores of FUNAI, which are maintained by the Artíndia Program. In these stores, arts and crafts acquired directly from the indigenous communities are sold. This guarantees these communities a source of revenue, and stimulates them to maintain their standard of culture. In addition, the store sells thematic bookBook
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s, T-shirts, CDs and CD-ROMs.
Location and hours
The museum is located at Rua das Palmeiras, 55, in the district of BotafogoBotafogo
Botafogo is a beachfront neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of Mundo Novo, Dona Marta and São João .- History :Botafogo was named after João Pereira de Sousa Botafogo, who was responsible for the...
, Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. There is no parking for visitors, as this is reserved for employees, SAMI members, volunteers and maintenance. Hours are Tuesday to Friday 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, (closed Mondays except for school groups); Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from 1 pm to 5pm (exhibit areas and art store only, as the library and other research areas are closed on weekends).
External links
- Official site of the Museu do Índio (PortuguesePortuguese languagePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
only)