Clouds of Indigenous Treasures: How to Return Them to the Forest’s Owners
Betty Mindlin’s experience of living alongside and defending the rights of more than 15 Indigenous peoples since 1978—documented in recordings, books, writings, and lectures—caught the attention of Indigenous women’s studies scholar Vanessa Pastorini, who is 50 years younger than Betty. They discuss how to preserve and pass on to younger generations the wealth of knowledge Betty gained from these peoples, and how to continue this alliance and closeness in the present day. One topic is the donation of Betty’s oral history to the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at USP; another is the contrast between traditional Indigenous life and that of capitalism. The audience’s curiosity may prompt them to choose among the many facets of this 100-year-long partnership between two women. Those skilled in math, do the math!
Betty Mindlin
An anthropologist with a Ph.D. from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo and an economist with a master’s degree from Cornell University, she has been working for years on research projects and providing support to numerous indigenous peoples in the Amazon and other regions. Her favorite subjects are indigenous myths, writing/orality/music, and support for indigenous teachers. She is the author of several works, such as *Nós Paiter: os Suruí de Rondônia* (1985), *Tuparis e Tarupás* (1993), *Vozes de origem* (1996), *Terra Grávida* (1999), Couro dos espíritos: namoro, pajés e cura entre os índios Gavião-Ikolen de Rondônia (2001), and Diários da Floresta (2006).
Vanessa Pastorini
PhD candidate in Semiotics and General Linguistics (USP), with experience at LAS (Laboratoire d’Anthropologie Sociale) and EHESS (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Humaines et Sociales), holding a master’s degree in Semiology and Communication (Université Paris Cité) and in Discourse Analysis (UFMG). Her research explores the interface between orality and writing, memory and history, in the production of indigenous (auto)biographies, linked to the use of virtual archives. She is the coordinator of the indigenous literature catalog project titled @escutejurua, accessible via Instagram.
In-person event
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