F Peters, Renata; (2023) Who is afraid of listening to the Tupinambá? In: Fekrsanati, Farideh and Schimmeroth, Gabriel, (eds.) From conservation to conversation rethinking: collections care. (pp. 53-63). MARKK (Museum am Rothenbaum Kulturen und Künste): Hamburg, Germany.

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Abstract

Collaborations with originators of collections and their descendants have been conducted extensively in the last 30 years but are often influenced by the colonial baggage of the heritage sector. Their effectiveness is also affected by our ability to listen, learn and sometimes even unlearn things. Recent actions of deliberate damage aimed at statues of Pedro Alvares Cabral in Brazil are introduced as examples of some of the possible consequences of poor listening. A group of Tupinambá cloaks, aspects of Paulo Freire’s dialogical method, and subsequent conversations with an important leader of the Tupinambá nation, Rosivaldo Ferreira da Silva (Cacique Babau), are used to discuss both the enlightenment and complexities that can be brought about by reaching out and listening to people outside our immediate disciplines. The discussion evolves around Tupinambá feather cloaks that were taken to Europe three centuries ago and eventually turned up in European museums. None of such cloaks exist in Brazil today and their ownership has been challenged by the living Tupinambá. Both the cloaks and the statues illustrate some of the impacts of putting consistent emphasis on the views and interests of elites that write history from their sole point of view and do not allow any other kind of narrative to be included. The discussion with Cacique Babau, on the other hand, demonstrates the complexity and possible benefits of including more voices in our decision-making. It brings generous enlightenment but also compels action and reflection from museum professionals by leaving some difficult questions for us to answer

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