„NEKREI“
… the "inherited honors & goods"
Feather Art and Sculptures of the Indians of Brazil
COLLECTION OF FAMILY PAVEL
The exhibits of the exhibition are exclusively post-colonial objects of indigenous art from the daily life of different ethnic groups of the Amazon region of Brazil. This ethnography is exhibited with the knowledge of FUNAI (Fundação National do Indio) in Brasilia and the brasilian government. All objects were collected over the years by the Pavel family or given to Consul Pavel by Indians. The collection is the property of Fundacao Pavel in Brazil and was made available to "Nekrei..." e.V. on loan.
"NEKREI" is one of the few - maybe even the only - permanent exhibition in Europe that presents indigenous culture in this completeness. It aims to document the rich diversity of Brazil's indigenous cultures and their need to survive, and to help ensure that these cultures are preserved.
All feathers used by indigenous peoples for their jewellery and rituals come from birds that have had their feathers pulled. Only rarely from birds that have been shot. The latter are exclusively bird species that are not threatened with extinction and still occur there in large flocks.
Why this exhibition at all?
"This exhibition is meant to keep us all alert, to shake us up again and again, to make us aware of the precarious situation and to constantly remind us: We all - no matter where we are in this world want to survive. This is therefore meant to be more than just a normal exhibition that you visit and go home satisfied and happy. No, it is meant to be an exhibition that, through the beauty of indigenous objects and their slow destruction, draws attention to the situation in Brazil on the Amazon with regard to our climate in the world. To point out what has become a dramatic and fragile situation for all of us. To show how local people are already suffering before our lives and prosperity are also further destroyed by the climate catastrophe.
The rainforest is not the lungs of the world, but the ventilation device for all of us, as Eckart von Hirschhausen aptly called it. And I'll add: the Amazon River is not just one of our veins, it is the artery of all of us. With this exhibition we want to make this looming global catastrophe particularly clear, using the example of the Amazon region and its indigenous population: For our children, so that they have a chance of survival.
That is why this exhibition was created on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of our company!"
Klaus Pavel
Honorary Consul of Brazil
FEATHER ART
Brazilian feather art has survived to this day despite acculturation and forest destruction in some ethnic groups. All tribes attribute to feathers, besides the aesthetic, also different symbolic and mystical meanings. Only by understanding the cultural context can they be deciphered.
According to their function, the feather work can be divided into two groups. One refers to the system of social symbols such as age, gender, rank, and tribal affiliation while the other points to the ideological system that illuminates the relationship between myth, rite, and magic as well as the activity of the shaman.
Masks
In the magical-religious context, masks represent ancestral figures, guardian spirits of the forests, wildlife and the natural environment. They embody the good and evil forces that inhabit the Native American universe. Masks are like statues that move - animated by the sound of music and the rhythm of dance. They create dynamics in the magic-religious ritual. Through the masks, the spirits of the ancestors and the heroes of the tribal culture express themselves. During the dance, the mask wearer takes on the role of the spirit he represents and conveys its message to the community.
Sculptures
In terms of art history, it is undisputed that African sculpture influenced the visual arts of the budding century; one may only think of the Cubists. Was the driving force merely the search for new forms or a bringing to the surface of something not exactly definable primordial? These questions remain open. Many artists were especially excited by the variety of forms and materials; others were fascinated by the clarity of the world view conveyed by exotic myths. But even the latter - Gaugin among them - could not really fathom the fundamental mysteries of tribal art.
WICKERWORK
The art of weaving, probably the oldest craft of mankind, is very highly developed among the Indians of Brazil. The raw materials used in braiding are mostly palm leaves, plant fibers or bamboo.
TOOLS AND WEAPONS
The hunting and war weapons of indigenous people were also different. The region in which they lived, the game to be hunted and the materials to be found there played a decisive role in the construction of their hunting and war weapons. Depending on the intended use, a distinction is made between close-range and long-range weapons. The legendary long-range weapon is the bow and arrow, the blowpipe with poison arrows, and the spear. Close-range weapons of the Brazilian indigenous people are for example the knife, the lance or mace.
