Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
In the Amazon Basin, in the interior of Brazil, systems of ritual and belief have existed for thousands of years unknown to most Brazilians. When the Villas-Bôas brothers established contact with the people of the Xingú less than 100 years ago, they became advocates for the indigenous people to the Brazilian government and society for the culture's preservation. We look at the stories shared with the brothers, exploring the relationship of life, death, and ritual in a drastically changing world.
00:00 Meet our translator, Abel!
00:18 Charity Announcement
00:30 Introduction
00:31 Map of Peru, Brazil, and the Country of the Amazons
00:47 Yawalapiti men, serra do Roncador, MT. Brazil by José Medeiros
01:08 Shamans of the Kamaiurá people by Sebastião Salgado
01:19 Map of the Brazilian State of Mato Grosso by Theodoro Sampaio
01:36 Orlando Villas Bôas e um índio Txicão from the Villas-Bôas Family Archive, licensed under Creative Commons
02:17 Life and Death
02:38 Jardel Juruna, líder da Aldeia São Francisco by Cícero Pedrosa Neto, licensed under Creative Commons
02:58 Pomacea bridgesii by H Zell, licensed under Creative Commons
03:28 Festa do Kuarup dança em frente dos troncos by Mercello Casal Jr for Agência Brasil, licensed under Creative Commons, image upscaled via use of Artificial Intelligence
03:47 Cotidiano by Lalo de Almeida
03:55 Kuarup Festival Dancing in Front of the Trunks by Mercello Casal Jr for Agência Brasil, licensed under Creative Commons, image upscaled via use of Artificial Intelligence
05:49 The Spirit World
06:01 Francisco Juruna by Cícero Pedrosa Neto, licensed under Creative Commons
06:27 The Eclipse by Alma Thomas
06:35 Exhibit from the National Museum of Ethnology, Lisbon, Portugal, photographed by Diogo Baptista, licensed under Creative Commons
07:04 Exhibit from the National Museum of Ethnology, Lisbon, Portugal, photographed by Diogo Baptista, licensed under Creative Commons
07:19 Xingú River photographed by Douglas Wialin Menezes de Oliveira, licensed under Creative Commons
07:28 Epicrates cenchria cenchria photographed by karoH, licensed under Creative Commons
07:54 Cerrado - Parque Nacional Chapada by Eliane de Castro, licensed under Creative Commons
08:11 Amazon Milk Frog by D Gordon E Robertson, licensed under Creative Commons
08:26 Total Solar Eclipse, 18 July 1860 by Warren de la Rue
08:48 Exhibit from the National Museum of Ethnology, Lisbon, Portugal, photographed by Diogo Baptista, licensed under Creative Commons
08:55 Parrot Tile Panel by William de Morgan
09:04 Aravutará: The Fate of The Dead, from Xingú: The Indians, Their Myths by Orlando and Claudio Villas-Bôas
09:47 Exhibit from the National Museum of Ethnology, Lisbon, Portugal, photographed by Diogo Baptista, licensed under Creative Commons
09:50 Harpy Eagle by Quartl, licensed under Creative Commons
09:59 Harpy Eagle with Wings Lifted by Jonathan Wilkins, licensed under Creative Commons
10:05 Eclipse from Centuria Astronomica by Albert Dyblinski
10:20 Aldeia Ipatse by Pedro Biondi, licensed under Creative Commons
10:25 Exhibit from the National Museum of Ethnology, Lisbon, Portugal, photographed by Diogo Baptista, licensed under Creative Commons
10:28 Uruá Flute by Noel Villas-Bôas, licensed under Creative Commons
10:51 The Living and the Dead
11:01 Exhibit from the National Museum of Ethnology, Lisbon, Portugal, photographed by Diogo Baptista, licensed under Creative Commons
11:20 Bacaba Aldeia São Francisco by Cícero Pedrosa Neto, licensed under Creative Commons
11:39 Kuarup Festival Painted Trunks by Mercello Casal Jr for Agência Brasil, licensed under Creative Commons, image upscaled via use of Artificial Intelligence
11:45 Kayapó Bead Belt from the Museum of the Indian, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, photographed by George Magaraia
11:59 Kuarup Festival Family Mourning Dead Parent by Mercello Casal Jr for Agência Brasil, licensed under Creative Commons, image upscaled via use of Artificial Intelligence
12:30 Sons e Cores do Xingu - Horizonte by Horizonte Educaçao e Comunicaçao, licensed under Creative Commons
12:44 Xingú Indigenous Park by Lalo de Almeida
13:21 The Huca-Huca Fight by Maureen Bisiliat
13:27 Indigenous Combat by by Mercello Casal Jr for Agência Brasil, licensed under Creative Commons, image upscaled via use of Artificial Intelligence
14:14 Conclusion: A World of Change
15:53 Deforestation in Amazônia by Fernando Donasci
16:02 Xingú Indigenous Park in Mato Grosso
16:30 Farewell to Claudio and Orlando Villas-Bôas do Xingú by Maureen Bisiliat
17:19 Outro
All works of art are in the public domain unless stated otherwise.
Ambiment - The Ambient by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license.
Works by José Medeiros; Sebastião Salgado; Lalo de Almeida; Alma Thomas; George Magaraia; Maureen Bisiliat; Fernando Donasci reproduced under Fair Use per United States Copyright Office Circular 21, Reproductions of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians.
In the Amazon Basin, in the interior of Brazil, systems of ritual and belief have existed for thousands of years unknown to most Brazilians. When the Villas-Bôas brothers established contact with the people of the Xingú less than 100 years ago, they became advocates for the indigenous people to the Brazilian government and society for the culture's preservation. We look at the stories shared with the brothers, exploring the relationship of life, death, and ritual in a drastically changing world.
00:00 Meet our translator, Abel!
00:18 Charity Announcement
00:30 Introduction
00:31 Map of Peru, Brazil, and the Country of the Amazons
00:47 Yawalapiti men, serra do Roncador, MT. Brazil by José Medeiros
01:08 Shamans of the Kamaiurá people by Sebastião Salgado
01:19 Map of the Brazilian State of Mato Grosso by Theodoro Sampaio
01:36 Orlando Villas Bôas e um índio Txicão from the Villas-Bôas Family Archive, licensed under Creative Commons
02:17 Life and Death
02:38 Jardel Juruna, líder da Aldeia São Francisco by Cícero Pedrosa Neto, licensed under Creative Commons
02:58 Pomacea bridgesii by H Zell, licensed under Creative Commons
03:28 Festa do Kuarup dança em frente dos troncos by Mercello Casal Jr for Agência Brasil, licensed under Creative Commons, image upscaled via use of Artificial Intelligence
03:47 Cotidiano by Lalo de Almeida
03:55 Kuarup Festival Dancing in Front of the Trunks by Mercello Casal Jr for Agência Brasil, licensed under Creative Commons, image upscaled via use of Artificial Intelligence
05:49 The Spirit World
06:01 Francisco Juruna by Cícero Pedrosa Neto, licensed under Creative Commons
06:27 The Eclipse by Alma Thomas
06:35 Exhibit from the National Museum of Ethnology, Lisbon, Portugal, photographed by Diogo Baptista, licensed under Creative Commons
07:04 Exhibit from the National Museum of Ethnology, Lisbon, Portugal, photographed by Diogo Baptista, licensed under Creative Commons
07:19 Xingú River photographed by Douglas Wialin Menezes de Oliveira, licensed under Creative Commons
07:28 Epicrates cenchria cenchria photographed by karoH, licensed under Creative Commons
07:54 Cerrado - Parque Nacional Chapada by Eliane de Castro, licensed under Creative Commons
08:11 Amazon Milk Frog by D Gordon E Robertson, licensed under Creative Commons
08:26 Total Solar Eclipse, 18 July 1860 by Warren de la Rue
08:48 Exhibit from the National Museum of Ethnology, Lisbon, Portugal, photographed by Diogo Baptista, licensed under Creative Commons
08:55 Parrot Tile Panel by William de Morgan
09:04 Aravutará: The Fate of The Dead, from Xingú: The Indians, Their Myths by Orlando and Claudio Villas-Bôas
09:47 Exhibit from the National Museum of Ethnology, Lisbon, Portugal, photographed by Diogo Baptista, licensed under Creative Commons
09:50 Harpy Eagle by Quartl, licensed under Creative Commons
09:59 Harpy Eagle with Wings Lifted by Jonathan Wilkins, licensed under Creative Commons
10:05 Eclipse from Centuria Astronomica by Albert Dyblinski
10:20 Aldeia Ipatse by Pedro Biondi, licensed under Creative Commons
10:25 Exhibit from the National Museum of Ethnology, Lisbon, Portugal, photographed by Diogo Baptista, licensed under Creative Commons
10:28 Uruá Flute by Noel Villas-Bôas, licensed under Creative Commons
10:51 The Living and the Dead
11:01 Exhibit from the National Museum of Ethnology, Lisbon, Portugal, photographed by Diogo Baptista, licensed under Creative Commons
11:20 Bacaba Aldeia São Francisco by Cícero Pedrosa Neto, licensed under Creative Commons
11:39 Kuarup Festival Painted Trunks by Mercello Casal Jr for Agência Brasil, licensed under Creative Commons, image upscaled via use of Artificial Intelligence
11:45 Kayapó Bead Belt from the Museum of the Indian, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, photographed by George Magaraia
11:59 Kuarup Festival Family Mourning Dead Parent by Mercello Casal Jr for Agência Brasil, licensed under Creative Commons, image upscaled via use of Artificial Intelligence
12:30 Sons e Cores do Xingu - Horizonte by Horizonte Educaçao e Comunicaçao, licensed under Creative Commons
12:44 Xingú Indigenous Park by Lalo de Almeida
13:21 The Huca-Huca Fight by Maureen Bisiliat
13:27 Indigenous Combat by by Mercello Casal Jr for Agência Brasil, licensed under Creative Commons, image upscaled via use of Artificial Intelligence
14:14 Conclusion: A World of Change
15:53 Deforestation in Amazônia by Fernando Donasci
16:02 Xingú Indigenous Park in Mato Grosso
16:30 Farewell to Claudio and Orlando Villas-Bôas do Xingú by Maureen Bisiliat
17:19 Outro
All works of art are in the public domain unless stated otherwise.
Ambiment - The Ambient by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license.
Works by José Medeiros; Sebastião Salgado; Lalo de Almeida; Alma Thomas; George Magaraia; Maureen Bisiliat; Fernando Donasci reproduced under Fair Use per United States Copyright Office Circular 21, Reproductions of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians.
