Brazil Indigenous group hails a sacred cloak’s homecoming after nearly four centuries in Europe
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Indigenous chants and the rattle of maracas resounded Thursday in a Rio de Janeiro park, where Brazil’s Tupinambá people gathered to celebrate the homecoming of a sacred cloak absent for some 380 years.
Made of feathers from the scarlet ibis, the artifact from northeastern Brazil resided in Copenhagen until the Danish National Museum donated the cloak to its Brazilian counterpart.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Indigenous Peoples Minister Sonia Guajajara attended a ceremony at Brazil's National Museum atop a hill in the Boa Vista Park.
"It is impossible not to appreciate the beauty and strength of this centuries-old and well-preserved piece, even after so much time outside Brazil, abroad. It is our commitment to preserve this heritage," Lula said, addressing dozens of Indigenous people plus others of the general public.