The traditional Tembé feast of the “Wiraohavo”, the rite of passage to adulthood, celebrated the transition of four young girls to becoming women.

 

The Wiraohavo is a weeklong celebration, this time happening in the village of Itaputyre between July 19-26. The ritual involves traditional singing, dance and other activities. for example, one important element of the celebration is the smoking of foods, which is part of the traditional Tembé practives related to their diet.

 

Scene of a previous Wiraohavo of the Tembé people in Pará (Cimi Equipe Norte II)

 

This time, two girls of Alto Rio Guamá, located near Santa Luiza in Pará, were joined by two girls from Tomé-Açu for the initiation. The entire extended families from all over the region were invited and joined in the festiviteis. Coming from the villages Alto Rio Gurupi, Tomé-Açu and the host families of Alto Rio Guamá, the ritual brought together some 200 indigenous.

 

Reaffirmation

The sharing of their traditional culture, as in the celebration of marriage and initiation rites has intensified over the years, reaching across the geographic seperation and the conclict causedd by invasions of non-indigenous. These reunions reaffirm the need for mutual support, and reaffirm the necessity to press for the recognition of their constitutional rights. This includes the recognition and demarcation of their traditional land.

 

Struggle for land and other rights

As such, the reunion is not only an expression and strengthening of the shared Tembe culture, but also of the alliances among a people that continues to struggle with invasions of their traditional lands by non-indigenous. These invasions seperated the Tembe settlementes, whereas they used to occupy and live in uninterupted area.

 

The nearly 80 Tembe families of the Santa Maria region still have not had their land demarcated and find this struggle energized in these encounters and the support given by the other Tembé groups.

 

According to CIMI missionary Isabel Cadete, the tightening of Tembé relations also strengthens their relations with the state. For example, in working toward quality education as well as foundational land questions.

 

Another scene of the Tembé rite of passage (Cimi Equipe Norte II)