Feather Art in Brazil, through the words of Mixtli

Hard to leave the exhibition which was part of USP´s (Sao Paulo University) collection on arte plumario (art from feathers). I was speechless then, and although the language void has since subsided (thankfully), yet I find it hard to articulate  about it even now. So then, reminded of Gary Jenning´s character Mixtli, I decided to use his words from Aztec.

(This is the description to the Catholic priests/interrogators of his first entry into Tenochtitlan (the capital of the Aztecs) with this father. During this trip, he tastes "ice cream" (really snow from the Ixtaccíhuatl volcano near Mexico City), and he says this about the feathered flags (portugese / english):)
“ aquilas bandeiras incrivelmente compridas de Tenochtitlan eram tecidas com penas cujos calamos haviam sido removidos e apenas a sua extremidade mais leve fora usada na tecelagem.
“ those incredibly compact Tenochtitlan flags were woven with feathers whose quills had been removed and only the lightest of its tips was used in the textile.


Não eram pintadas ou tingidas. As bandeiras eram intricadamente tecidas com penas de cores naturais:
They had not been painted or stained. The flags were intricately woven with feathers of natural colours:

penas de garça real para o fundo branco das bandeiras,
royal heron feathers for the white base of the flags,

e para os desenhos, os vários vermelhos das araras, cardeais..
and for the designs, the various reds of macaws, cardinals..

e periquitos..
and small parrots..

e os diversos azuis dos gaios e garças,
And the various blues of roosters ands herons,

os amarelos dos tucanos e sanhaços.
And yellows of tucans and tanagers.

Ayyo! estou dizendo a verdade, beijo a terra, havia todas as cores e brilhos, originarias apenas da natureza, viva e não de potes de tinta feito pelo homem”
Ayyo! I am telling the truth, i kiss the ground, there were all types of colours, sourced from “live” nature and not of ink pots made by men”

 
the humans that created this exhibition, as diverse as its colours. I find them, true heart of Brazil and one of the last original residents of this country and the world..