Traditional Diahui Festival

Traditional Diahui Festival

Like the Kaxuyana of northern Brazil and the communities of the Middle Rio Negro region, the Diahui people of the western Brazilian Amazon built a central maloca (roundhouse) for the first time in many decades. ACT, the Brazilian NGO Kanindé, the Instituto Internacional de Educação do Brasil, and USAID supported the construction of the maloca as well as the first traditional festival that the Diahui have held in almost half a century, taking place in the third week of August. They danced, sang and played their flutes for two days straight. All food and dress was traditional. It was quite an experience being part of this ceremony.

Until the mid-1990's, just a few Diahui remained and lived spread out in other tribal villages or even the city. Thanks to the leadership of one Diahui, they were able to reconstitute their community and gain territorial recognition. Today, there are approximately 70 Diahui who live in one village on their traditional lands.

New Central Maloca

The Trans-Amazon Highway (Porto Velho-Santarem-Belem) passes straight through their village, and they have set up a toll booth to collect fees from passing trucks and cars to compensate the community for the road and its impacts. The impact of the road and access to the outside world has in many ways been disastrous, but these people really have pulled back from the brink. Today, they have a functioning association, which is receiving independent funding as well as support from Kanindé and the Moore Foundation, and they are implementing a diagnostic survey implemented jointly by Kanindé and ACT, a cultural mapping project (idem), a vigilance plan and park guard training all funded by USAID.  The Diahui also wish to commence a REDD carbon project in the near future.

I have included a photo that was taken off a bridge from the Trans-Amazon Highway on the way to the Diahui lands. This photograph is of a member of the Piraha tribe, which is still nomadic, speaks almost no Portuguese and who live close to the road and the Diahui. This tribe was almost wiped out by missionaries and has fought to retain their culture and nomadic lifestyle.

Vasco van Roosmalen
ACT Brazil Program Director